Thinking Ethics in an African Space

Abstract

Abstract: This paper explores major issues in ethics. It considers relevant concepts related to the core branches and theories of ethics. The paper looks at notions such as bad and good as well as character as they apply to communal societies such as African traditional societies. African traditional societies are intrinsically communal in nature. Their communitarian and altruistic approaches to life often under-estimated need genuine attention. As a result, this paper argues that a synoptic look at ethics not only treats ethics from a global and cosmopolitan perspective, it also brings to bear the fundamentals of humanness, love, peace, integrity and character that ground most African Traditional Societies. Keywords : African Traditional Societies, Character, Communitarian, Ethics, Humanness.