A Relational Moral Theory African Ethics in and beyond the Continent

A Relational Moral Theory draws on neglected resources from the Global South and especially the African philosophical tradition to provide a new answer to a perennial philosophical question: what do all morally right actions have in common as distinct from wrong ones? Thaddeus Metz points out that the principles of utility and of respect for autonomy, the two rivals that have dominated Western moral theory for the last two centuries, share an individualist premise. Once that common assumption is replaced by a relational perspective given prominence in African ethical thought, a different comprehensive principle, one focused on harmony or friendliness, emerges. Metz argues that this principle corrects the blind spots of the Western moral principles, and has implications for a wide array of controversies in applied ethics that an international audience of moral philosophers, professional ethicists, and similar thinkers will find compelling.

1 - Introducing African Ethics
2 - Reconsidering Ontology's Relevance
3 - Analyzing African Ethics
4 - The Common Good
5 - Vital Force
6 - Communal Relationship
7 - A Relational Moral Theory
8 - Environmental Ethics
9 - Biomedical Ethics
10 - Research Ethics
11 - Education Ethics
12 - Business Ethics
13 - Conclusion

Thaddeus Metz is Research Professor of Philosophy at the University of Pretoria. He obtained his PhD from the Sage School of Philosophy at Cornell University in 1997. Since then he has become known for driving the application of an analytic method to topics in continental and African philosophy. He is the author of around 300 publications include Meaning in Life (Oxford, 2013) and Jurisprudence in an African Context (Oxford, 2017). In recognition of having brought African philosophy to global audiences, Prospect Magazine designated Metz one of The World's Top 50 Thinkers in 2020.