Contents
Henry Odera Oruka
Developing Sage Philosophy through conversations with African thinkers outside universities.
Sage Philosophy · Oginga Odinga
- Born
- 1 June 1944
- Birthplace
- Kenya
- Died
- 9 December 1995
More people
Henry Odera Oruka
Henry Odera Oruka was a Kenyan philosopher who challenged the idea that philosophy depended on written traditions. He recorded and examined the reasoning of individual sages, while also writing about freedom, poverty and ethics.
Early life
Kenyan beginnings
Born in Masiro-Nyang’ungu in western Kenya.
Changing subjects
Studied science at Uppsala before turning to philosophy and further study at Wayne State.
Career
- 1970
Nairobi
Began teaching at the University of Nairobi.
- 1970s
Sage Philosophy
Developed a project interviewing indigenous thinkers.
- 1980
Department leadership
Became founding chair of Nairobi’s separate philosophy department.
- 1990
Major collection
Published Sage Philosophy.
Selected work
Sage Philosophy
Presents dialogues with African thinkers.
Oginga Odinga
Examines the politician’s philosophy and beliefs.
Philosophy, Humanity and Ecology
Addresses ethical and environmental questions.
Beyond work
Family
Was married twice and had five children.
Environment
Helped establish Nairobi’s International Institute of Environmental Studies.
Sources & photo credit
Life, career and references ↗Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy ↗Original photograph. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.