Philosophy

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Browsing Philosophy by Author "Alamayo, Dasta"

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    Safuu: The Indigenous Oromo Moral System
    (Addis Ababa University, 2015-07) Alamayo, Dasta; Dewo, Tenna(PhD)
    Human beings have diligently attempted to answer the question of “how ought one to live” since their existence as a social-being. This attempt has resulted in different ethical traditions and theories. Every society and every individual has attempted to answer the question in accordance with their own particular problem and social structures. In this thesis, I present two dominant Western moral theories- Teleology/Consequentialism and Deontology, and one indigenous moral system of the Oromo people of East Africa. This indigenous moral system of the Oromo is called Safuu. As Safuu is an indigenous moral system and not much is found about it in a written form, I use written and oral texts to collect the necessary information. I also use my own witness as a source of information since I was born and raised in the Oromo society. I lived all my life so far in this society being part of their practices, sharing their language and worldview, being subject and object of their morality, critically looking at their ways of lives, political and religious systems, etc. Generally, in this thesis, I used different kinds of written and oral texts including my own witness as sources of information I found necessary for the development of this thesis. After thoroughly discussing each of them, I then critically examine them and present my final argument. I argue that “absolute consequentialism” results in more moral problems than it solves, and that “pure deontology” is nonexistent or impossible due to its incompatibility with human nature and teleological interpretation of its principles. Then I argue that Safuu, the indigenous Oromo moral system, could correct the problems of these two moral theories, Teleology and Deontology, and also solves some of the modern human problems namely environmental problem, and the problem of children and women’s right. Thesis: Replacing the Drawbacks of Teleology and Deontology, Safuu Can Solve Some of the Modern Human Problems