‘On the "Not Necessarily Atheist" Nature of Kwame Nkrumah's Philosophical Consciencism’

7/31/2019 On the "Not Necessarily Atheist" Nature of Kwame Nkrumah's Philosophical Consciencism

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ON THE NOT NECESSARILY ATHEIST NATURE

OF KWAME NKRUMAH'S PHILOSOPHICAL

CONSCIENCISM

Alexander Wooten

Kwame Nkrumah was one of the more salient figures of the post-war anticolonial movement in Africa. H

contribution to the material and non

material development of the African continent and its people went beyond the narrow boundaries of his own country. As the first Prime Minister and President of the WAfrica state of Ghana, one of the first African states to struggle for and achieve political independence froEuropean colonial domination, Nkrumah became the symbol of freedom and unity in Africa. Temancipation, unification and development of Africa and its scattered, oppressed people was t

allconsuming passion of Nkrumah's political, intellectual and personal life. Nkrumah tirelessly worked fAfrica and its principled advancement. In reaction to his understanding of the social and material conditioof Africa during his time, Nkrumah developed and espoused certain ideas and theories that he thought wouaccelerate the full development of his homeland.

After his development and avid espousal of revolutionary PanAfricanism and his brilliant discovery a

analysis of neocolonialism, Nkrumah is also well-known for his theoretical treatise, Consciencism.

Nkrumah himself "philosophical consciencism . . . is . . . the map in intellectual terms of the disposition

forces which will enable African society to digest the Western and Islamic, and the EuroChristian elemenin Africa, and develop them in such a way that they fit into the African personality (Nkrumah, p. 79). On tpoint of personality, he holds that "the African personality is itself defined by the cluster of humanprinciples which underlie the traditional African society" (Nkrumah, p. 79). The Hon. T. Benson, formInformation Minister of Nigeria, stated in a speech printed in the theoretical organ of the ruling political par(the Convention Peoples' Party) of Ghana, during the Nkrumah era, that he viewed consciencism Africanism. He went further to say that consciencism reflects a philosophy which is African in content. Tbasis for this philosophy, he continues, is the need to unite Africa through an ideology which is essentia

African (Benson, p. 6).

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At the time of the development of consciencism, the African continent had evolved into a land of thrdominant identities: the traditional indigenous identity, and two others which were imposed from without

the Islamic and EuroChristian. Nkrumah's philosophical consciencism was seen by many as the answer the problem of the three Africas by way of philosophical synthesis. A speech given by the Ghanaian HiCommissioner articulates this view by stating, "Out of the three Africas must be forged a new Africa whicha philosophic unity distilled out of the best features of the existing three Africas" (Benson, p. 6). He furthstates, "The philosophical synthesis that consciencism represents is attained through a dialectical growth o

of the three strands in contemporary African life" (Benson, p. 6).

Apart from the astute observations Nkrumah has made with regard to the modern reality of Africa's ident

and influences, he creates a particular theoreticalphilosophical inconsistency in his theory by attemptingjuxtapose and synthesize two fundamentally opposed philosophical schools. In consciencism, Nkrumaaffirmation of the fundamental philosophical materialistic character of his "philosophical consciencism" a

his subsequent declaration of the essentially nonatheistic nature of the same philosophy is, in the finanalysis, an attempt to reconcile the two theoretically polarized schools of philosophy, idealism amaterialism. In his book,Monism and Pluralism in Ideology and in Politics, Assen Kozharov comments the natural and historic struggle of the two opposing world views. He states ". . .the history of philosoph


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thought in its profound essence has been above all, a history of the struggle between the two fundamenphilosophical trendsmaterialism and idealism". (Kozharov, p. 59). George Novack, author of a volume the origin and history of the materialist school, adds further clarity to this same point. He propounds ". materialism and idealism . . . do not exhaust the field of philosophy but they dominate it". They reciprocadetermine not only the main course of their development but the real positions of the schools oscillatibetween them. "They provide the guiding lines which enable us to make our way surely through the mazephilosophical opinions and controversy and not get lost" (Novack, p. 8).

From a position of affirmed materialism, Nkrumah argues and seeks to reconcile these two opposing wor

views. As a materialist, Nkrumah accepts the primacy of matter. He

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states, "the . . . assertions . . . I put forward as philosophical consciencism are . . . two fold. First , there is tassertion of the absolute and independent existence of matter; second, there is the assertion of the capacity

matter for spontaneous selfmotion. To the extent of these two initial assertions, philosophical consciencisis deeply materialistic" (Nkrumah, p. 84). He further holds of consciencism that "its basis is materialism. Tminimum assertion of materialism is the absolute and independent existence of matter" (Nkrumah, p. 79Even earlier in this work, Nkrumah not only declares again and again his faith in the materialist world viebut he also demonstrates his disdain for idealism as a tool to understand reality: natural or societal. He writ"idealism favored a class structure of a horizontal sort, in which one class sat upon the neck of another; . materialism, on the other hand, was connected with a humanist organization through its being monistic anits referring all natural processes to matter and its laws, it inspired an egalitarian organization of society. Tunity and fundamental identity of nature suggests the unity and fundamental identity of man is societIdealism favors an oligarchy; materialism favors an egalitarianism" (Nkrumah, p. 75). He also declares, "reason of the connection of idealism with an oligarchy and of materialism with an egalitarianism, topposition of idealism and materialism in the same society is paralled by the opposition of conservative aprogressive forces on a social level" (Nkrumah, p. 75). And further, Nkrumah's most explicit affirmationhis belief in the materialist school of philosophy is stated as follows: "on the philosophical level . . . it materialism . . . that in one form or another, will give the firmest conceptual basis to the restitution of Africa

egalitarian and humanist principles . . . It is materialism, with its monistic and naturalistic accounts of naturwhich will balk arbitrariness, inequality and injustice" (Nkrumah, p. 76). The concept of monism holds tview that there is only one kind of ultimate substance. "It is a method of viewing the diversity of phenomein the world that affirms a single principle or source for all that exists. This principle, this source is mattmatter in an ongoing, ever changing process of development" (Soviet Encyclopedia, p. 516). Finally, declares that "it is materialism that ensures the only effective transformation of nature" (Nkrumah, p. 77).

In the article On Consciencism written at the Kwame Nkrumah Ideological Institute, consciencism is seen a revolutionary materialist philosophy in its concept, and

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dialectical in its method (p. 29). In the same article, consciencism is said to be a philosophy based on thprinciples that include the following:

1. Matter is the source of all knowledge.

2. The mind has a distinct existence even though it is a product of matter.

3. There is an interaction between matter and mind.

In the article "Studies in Consciencism: What is Categorical Conversion?," philosophical consciencism de


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with the interaction of mind and matter in consciencism. Here it is maintained that, "philosophiconsciencism . . . while remaining true to the monistic position, is still realistic and circumspect enough realize that naive monism cuts across the grain of popular experience . . . it rejects the dualism whipostulates that both matter and spirit (body and mind) exist independently of each other and in their owrights" (Studies, p. 25). Further, the article states that though body and mind do exist, they are different athus "form different things. They are in fact one and the same thing. We call matter the primary thing becauwhile we can arrange matter to produce mind, we cannot produce matter by any arrangements of minds. Tcategories of mind and matter do exist but the one (mind) can be converted into the other (matter)" (Studip. 5). The suggestion of "practical dualism of matter" while at the same time matter is understood to

monist, is dealt with somewhat in the article by this pronouncement: ". . . the problem of 'practical dualisand 'basic monism' can be explained away by reference to categorical convertibility" (Studies, p. 6). Thconcept of categorical conversion is stated by Nkrumah to be "the transforming of one category into anoththe production of one category into another: the production of one category by using one or more categorwhich are different from the one produced." (Nkrumah, p. 20). The categorical conversion of matter from material origin to its ideal existence, from material monism to practical dualism, is Nkrumah's suggestion thmatter can exist in different and opposing categories and that from within these categories matter convertible. Nkrumah also implies what is tantamount to an acceptance of idealism by asserti"philosophical consciencism, even though deeply rooted in materialism, is not necessarily atheisti(Nkrumah, p. 84).

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To appreciate the significance and/or the inconsistency of this last statement, it is necessary first of all understand the two historically opposed world views and the positions they hold. Idealism, the first of tfundamental schools of philosophy, holds that the primary substance of reality is consciousness, spirit athought, and that matter is secondary and dependent on consciousness. For an idealist, the natural world, froits foundation, derives its being from and can be reduced to thought. InElementary Principles of Philosophthe French materialist Georges Politzer says of idealism that it is the doctrine which answers the fundamenquestions of philosophy by saying "it is thought which is the principal, most important, the first element, anidealism, by affirming the primary importance of thought declares that it is thought that produces being

that it is the spirit that produced matter" (Politzer, p. 436). The material aspect of nature is, from the idealview, derived from, secondary to, and dependent on, the idea. This notion holds that irrespective of texistence of matter, a thought, an idea, a concept can exist. For example, the brain, a highly complex form matter, is not required for the thought process or an idea in itself to exist. Thus, based on the abosuppositions, one must agree with Politzer's assertions that "idealism is nothing other than a polished arefined form of religion" (Politzer, p. 59). He is referring to religion in the sense of the belief in and t

service and worship of a God, a supernatural being, a preexisting conscious idea.

The second fundamental school of philosophy, materialism, asserts that matterthose objects, forces, aprocessesexist independent of consciousness, and is the primary basis of reality and that consciousnethought, emotion, and ideas are secondary and dependent upon it. Matter is the primary substance and exis

independent of consciousness. The category of matter is extremely broad, for it encompasses objective realin its entirety, and not merely some separate object or process, or even a group of objects and phenomena being, of objective reality, of existing outside of man's consciousness and being reflected in his consciousne(Afanasyev, p. 54). The Great Soviet Encyclopedia speaks of materialism as "resolving the basic question philosophy in favor of the primacy of matter, nature, being, the physical, and the objective and regardimind, or thought, as a property of matter" (p. 509). Recognition of the primacy of matter implies that mattitself is the primary basis of consciousness, ideas, and thoughts.

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If one asserts or implies that two realities are each primary, one is saying that they cannot be reduced to eaother or anything else. Novack elucidates on this particular paint by stating, ". . . the basic propositions these two types of thought (idealism and materialism) are absolutely opposed to each other. One must right and the other wrong. Both cannot be correct. Whoever maintains consistently theposition of the oneinescapably led to conclusions exactly contrary to the other" (Novack, p. 6). With naivete, this is precisely tcontradictory trap into which Nkrumah falls by asserting his philosophical consciencism as materialist foundation, yet simultaneously declaring it "not necessarily atheist." This practical dualist position held Nkrumah is an inconsistent and irreconcilable contradiction. The Great Soviet Encyclopedia aptly stat"since the idealist and materialist solutions to the fundamental question of philosophy are mutually exclusiv

only one of them can be true" (p. 117). Recognition of the primacy of matter implies that matter itself is tprimary basis of consciousness, ideas, thoughts, and as such ". . . precludes the existence of any God, gospirits, souls, or other immaterial entities which are alleged to direct or influence the operations of natusociety and the inner man" (Novack, p. 5).

For one to declare oneself a materialist, one is necessarily declaring his atheism, because within tmaterialist school no thought, no emotion, no idea can pre-exist nor exist independently of matter. The samexclusion holds for idealism. For the idealist the idea presupposes all things and gives birth to all things. Thwe see under no theoretical circumstances can a materialist be "not necessarily atheist." If philosophiconsciencism is not atheist, then it is in no way rooted in materialism. "Atheism is contained in materialisas the fruit is potential in the seed. It is the logical outcome, the necessary conclusion of materialist though(Novack, p. 108). Materialism necessitates atheism, theism necessitates idealism. These two views are at wand can never find co-existence. Nkrumah expresses this very similar thought himself in the very work which I am writing. He says, ". . . societies have both idealist and materialist streaks. But these streaks do nexist in equipoise. They are connected by a conflict in which one streak predominates" (Nkrumah, p. 75However, on attempting to reconcile these two views while declaring his political ideological allegiance one, Nkrumah bankrupts his consciencism on its very philosophical foundation.

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In Consciencism, Nkrumah takes an explicit materialist philosophical position and also implicitly uphol

idealism on the nature of the origin of matter. By declaring that his "materialist" consciencism is "nnecessarily atheist," Nkrumah bankrupts his theory by contradicting himself on the very fundamenquestion of philosophy, the nature of being. Although his analysis of the evolved identities of contemporaAfrica and his ability to envision the necessity to develop a conscious ideology to dialectically synthesiAfrica's three identities were outstanding, they are still overshadowed by his attempt to reconcile tirreconcilable.

Howard Univers

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Afanasyev, V.Marxist Philosophy. Moscow: Progress Publishers, 1968.

Benson, T.O.S. "Speech Delivered by Nigerian Minister of Information." In Spark, 28 August, 1965.

Kozharov, Assen.Monism and Pluralism in Ideology and in Politics. Bulgaria: Sofia Press, 1972.

Nkrumah, Kwame. Consciencism. New York: International Publishers, 1980.

Novack, George. The Origins of Materialism. New York: Pathfinder Press, 1965.


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Politzer, Georges.Elementary Principles ofPhilosophy. New York: International Publishers, 1976.

Prokharov, A.M. Great Soviet Encyclopedia. Vol. 10. New York: MacMillan, Inc., 1976.

"Speech Delivered by Ghana High Commissioner." In Spark, 1965.

State Publishing Corporation, AccraTema, Ghana. On Consciencism, 1970.

"Studies in Consciencism. What is Categorical Conversion?" In Spark, 1964.

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SOURCE: Wooten, Alexander. On the "Not Necessarily Atheist" Nature of Kwame Nkrumah'sPhilosophical Consciencism, The Howard University Journal of Philosophy, vol. 1, no. 1, Summer/Fall1990, pp. 49-55.

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‘On the "Not Necessarily Atheist" Nature of Kwame Nkrumah's Philosophical Consciencism’

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