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Schall's Article on African Political Philosophy","","Correspondence addresses an article titled “Problems in African Political Philosophy” published in Worldview (Excursus, September). The writer argues the author’s treatment is an oversimplification, despite acknowledging Africa’s extensive ethnic and cultural diversity. It discusses how development policies must account for complex national realities, warns against misreading political rhetoric, and contrasts perspectives on development and political-economic models. A response from James V. Schall follows, focusing on political philosophy, rhetoric as power, and African political experiences.",{"@graph":69,"@context":122},[70,84,105],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":15,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/literature/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/correspondence-to-the-editors-father-james-v-schalls-article-on-african-political-philosophy/412456/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/correspondence-to-the-editors-father-james-v-schalls-article-on-african-political-philosophy/412456.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"\tCallum ","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-30","2026-09-28",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":24},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",{"@type":106,"mainEntity":107},"FAQPage",[108,114,118],{"name":109,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":111},"What criticism is made of Father James V. Schall’s article?","Question",{"text":112,"@type":113},"The correspondence argues the article is a misleading oversimplification that reduces Africa’s diverse approaches to development to two simplified camps.","Answer",{"name":115,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":116},"How does the writer explain the need for selective development choices in African states?",{"text":117,"@type":113},"It argues no responsible African leader opposes development because of its origin, and that prudence is required in choosing forms and directions, given the harms produced by earlier development outcomes in other contexts.",{"name":119,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":120},"What does James V. Schall emphasize in his response?",{"text":121,"@type":113},"Schall states his remarks were part of a longer essay on political philosophy, addresses whether Africans behave like other peoples, and argues that rhetorical exaggeration functions as political power that can drive conflict.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":124,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":126,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":128,"site_id":62},412456,1792110509,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":131},{"doc_id":128,"user_id":132,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":14,"category_name":15,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":24,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":26,"language":139,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":140,"faqs":141,"seo_title":142,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":143,"read_time":144},137451211410,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/avatar/2000bb0a9246f588df?x-image-process=image/resize,m_fixed,w_180,h_180&k=1786362646172706240","WORLDVEWDECEMBER,1975  \nLOOKING OVERTHESINAIAGREEMENT/J.W.FULBRIGHTWE DID NOTLOSE INVIETNAM/EUGENE W.MASSENGALEJEWS&CHRISTIANS-BEYOND BROTHERHOOD WEEK/HENRYSIEGMAN  \nTHE TRIUMPH OF THE HORSE/ANDRÉ VAN DAM  \nJUDGING NIXON,JUDGING OURSELVES/DONALDA.ROBINSON  \n# Correspondence\n\nThe Problem With\"Problems in AfricanPolitical Philosophy\"  \nTo the Editors:Father James V.Schall's impressive academic creden-tials did not prevent him from writingan article that is,in my opinion,amisleading oversimplification of the\"Problems in African PoliticalPhilosophy\"(Worldview,Excursus,September).  \nHe admits that the continent \"hasmore ethnic and cultural groups anddiversities than the other continents,\"but he fails to follow out the implica-tions of this fact.The first implicationis that one would suspect such diver-sity to be reflected in a variety of ap-proaches to development—as indeed itis reflected;Father Schall,however,reduces the diversity to two camps:one in opposition to development;theother flaunting perfectionist rhetoric.  \nNo responsible leader of an Africanstate is opposed to development simplybecause it is not a product of his stateor the continent on which he lives.Theexercise of some selectivity as to theforms and direction it will take seemsonly prudent,especially in view ofsome of the problems developed na-tions have produced as direct results oftheir development:unclean air and wa-ter;deforested areas exposed to soilerosion;the disfigurement resultingfrom strip-mining;technological un-employment,etc.One could mention,too,the urgent need,tied to politicalindependence,for achieving freedomin economic matters,from what iscommonly called neocolonialism.  \nThe rhetoric of some African politi-cal leaders is not hard to understandeither:These men are faced with aproblem of great magnitude,left tothem by Europe's irrational impositionof boundaries on the old colonies,nowthe new nation-states—the problem ofcreating a unified nation out of peoplesdiffering in language,tradition,andculture.If flights of rhetorical exag-geration and ambition can help them  \nachieve this important end,who are weto criticize or ridicule?Did we nothear,and were not many of us movedby,the idealism of President John F.Kennedy or the determination of Pres-ident Nixon to make the city streets ofAmerica safe?  \nTwice in his rather brief articleFather Schall seems to indulge in a bitof ethnocentrism(which is not thesame thing as racism).He clearly be-lieves that the developed Westernworld is the only model for Africannations to follow.President Nyerere ofTanzania,on the contrary,believesthat in his nation a new political/economic system might be a viable al-ternative to both the capitalism of theWest and the Communist systems inEastern Europe and Asia.The Tanza-nian system,if it works in the longrun,will be a distinctively Africancreation—and development is an es-sential element in the plan.It is not amatter of being good because it is Af-rican,but being good because it meetsthe needs of an African people,includ-ing those whose existence hitherto hasbeen marginal.  \nTo play Schall's historical game oflooking at eighteenth and nineteenth-century backgrounds:It hardly comesas a shock to Africans to realize thatmuch of the nation's tribal diversity soevident in the continental UnitedStates was virtually destroyed by mi-grating Western Europeans manifestingtheir Christian(?)destiny.And,fur-thermore,the fact that much of theU.S.'s economic development was aproduct of the enforced contribution ofimported African labor is not over-looked by them either.  \nThe Rev.Rollins E.Lambert  \nAdvisor for African Affairs  \nDept.of Social Development  \nand World Peace  \nU.S.Catholic Conference  \nWashington,D.C.  \nJames V.Schall Responds:  \nFather Lambert's good comments arequite representative,I think,of some-one concerned with and engaged in ac-tion positions designed to aid peoplesin achieving what they conceive to betheir tasks.  \nMy remarks were the opening por-tion of a conside","cbCaidtxQvgmwPoM","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaidtxQvgmwPoM","pdf",9449443,"English","# Correspondence\n## To the Editors: “The Problem With ‘Problems in African Political Philosophy’”\n## James V. Schall Responds","[{\"question\":\"What criticism is made of Father James V. Schall’s article?\",\"answer\":\"The correspondence argues the article is a misleading oversimplification that reduces Africa’s diverse approaches to development to two simplified camps.\"},{\"question\":\"How does the writer explain the need for selective development choices in African states?\",\"answer\":\"It argues no responsible African leader opposes development because of its origin, and that prudence is required in choosing forms and directions, given the harms produced by earlier development outcomes in other contexts.\"},{\"question\":\"What does James V. Schall emphasize in his response?\",\"answer\":\"Schall states his remarks were part of a longer essay on political philosophy, addresses whether Africans behave like other peoples, and argues that rhetorical exaggeration functions as political power that can drive conflict.\"}]","Correspondence - To the Editors: Father James V. Schall's Article on African Political Philosophy | PDF",1790591634,92]