Self-Generation and Liberation of Africa: The Viaticum of Hans Jonas’ Principle of Responsibility

ABSTRACT: The idea of African self-generation is based on two fundamental concepts: the freedom and responsibility of Africans. Self-generation can only be functional and efficient if Africans decide to resolutely commit themselves to becoming what they wish for themselves through the power of their own thought and action. As such, it is necessary to pose the problem of African dependence on the Western world on the one hand and, on the other hand, to condemn the abject behaviours portrayed by Africans. All this in view of defining the responsibility bestowed on Africans today, in a context of omnivorous globalization. In our opinion, the quest for African development can only be satisfied if Africans acknowledge their responsibility in the course of their history. The source of African liberation and its commitment could be inspired by Hans Jonas‟ “principle of responsibility”. This principle is above all a source of reflection that has a normative vocation: it is a question of recognising the value of life on the basis of the vulnerability to which it bears witness. The “principle of responsibility” invites us to be concerned about what might happen to Africa if we are not watchful with technology. In congruence with his „heuristic of fear‟, the role of philosophy is to anticipate future threats and to prevent possible catastrophes. In this way, our contribution intends to proceed by clarifying some key concepts in order to establish an epistemology of the major philosophies that we muster. The conceptual elucidation will lead us to explore the Jonasian paradigm of the „principle of responsibility‟, followed by a dialogue of this paradigm with its political stakes on the self- generation of Africa.

KEYWORDS:Self-generation, Liberation, Principle of responsibility, Globalisation, Africa.