A Short History of African Philosophy, Second Edition

Hallen (Morehouse College) provides a general survey of African philosophy that is both informative and accessible to nonspecialist philosophers and philosophy students. Focusing mainly on 20th-century thinkers and grouping them in chapters according to their general philosophical approaches, the volume is indeed a short history, but a valuable overview nonetheless. In this new edition (1st, CH, Feb'03, 40-3328), Hallen updates his treatment of several writers and adds discussions of Senghor and Nzegwu, making this an improved but not substantially altered text. (Hallen also briefly expands his treatment of North Africa; one wishes he might have done the same for southern Africa as well.) The biggest change is the expansion of the bibliography from 16 to 36 pages, making it one of the most comprehensive available. While not a replacement for a good anthology of African philosophical texts, Hallen's survey (in either the first or second edition) should be a part of any good philosophy collection. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-level undergraduates and above. - Choice