REFLECTIONS ON AFRICAN ETHICS: A CASE FOR CULTURAL RELATIVISM.

Though some contemporary philosophers have tried to modify the position of pioneer scholars that African Ethics and Religion are inextricably intertwined, the fact still remains that for African Religious ethicists, this position is as true today as it was yesterday. The claim that African Religion derives moral initiatives from nature and its stipulations with the premium idea of a common humanity is a partial truism. The genre of works by anthropologists shows the diversity of various cultures on matters of morality. However, the necessity of maintaining the identity f other cultures no matter the interactions with foreign cultures is not emphasized. In this paper I set out to make a case for the invocation of African ethics/moral values in the evaluation of certain ethically controversial issues. To achieve this, I am employing a qualitative and analytical method of religious study. Insights are drawn from sociology, anthropology, ethics and cultural hermeneutics. I went further to stress the need for cultural sensitivity as against the bane of ethical imperialism. I recommend a respect for individual cultures and by extension their ethical inclinations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]