A Journey into the Philosophy of Alain Locke

Washington provides a detailed guide to the philosophy of Alain Locke, one of the most influential African American thinkers of our time. The work gives special attention to what Washington calls Destiny Studies, an approach which allows a people to concentrate on their past, present, and future possibilities, and to view the experience of a race as a coherent unity, rather than a set of fragmented historical happenings. In providing a broad vision of Locke's ideas, Washington considers the views of Booker T. Washington and his contemporaries, the theories of anthropologists concerning race and ethnicity, and many of the social issues current in our own age. By doing so, Washington affirms the importance of Locke as a philosopher and demonstrates the impact of Locke on the destiny of African Americans.

Table of Contents:
Destiny: The Views of Booker T. Washington, W.E.B. DuBois, and Alain Locke The African American Elite, Destiny and the Transformation of History African Americans Cultural Contributions to the Three Americas "Black" or "African American": What's in a Name? The Life and Times of Frederick Douglass, and Booker T. Washington Criteria of Race: An Anthropological Perspective Race, Ethnicity, and Culture Racial Dilemmas and Paradoxes Racial Integration or Segregation: Which is Desirable? Social Insanity Moral Virtues in Elementary Schools Norms and the Social Realm: Alain Locke, John Dewey, and Henri Bergson A General Theory of Value Relativism The Nature and Dynamics of Norms Epilogue Bibliography

About the Author :
JOHNNY WASHINGTON is Professor of African American Studies and Professor of Philosophy at Southwest Missouri State University, Springfield. His articles have appeared in journals such as the Journal of Social Philosophy, and he is the author of Alain Locke and Philosophy: A Quest for Cultural Pluralism (Greenwood Press, 1986).

Review :
?Should be of interest to anyone interested in destiny studies and the philosophy of axiology of Alain Locke?-Ethics ?The reader will find Washington's book absolutely absorbing, whether one is concerned more particularly with the first part on racial and cultural theory or the second part on value theory in general.?-Transactions of the Charles S. Peirce Society ?This well-written, easily accessible book is a most important discussion of Locke's views on race, ethnicity, culture, pluralism, integration, segregation, and the African American cultural contributions to the Americas. Upper-division undergraduate and above.?-Choice "Should be of interest to anyone interested in destiny studies and the philosophy of axiology of Alain Locke"-Ethics "The reader will find Washington's book absolutely absorbing, whether one is concerned more particularly with the first part on racial and cultural theory or the second part on value theory in general."-Transactions of the Charles S. Peirce Society "This well-written, easily accessible book is a most important discussion of Locke's views on race, ethnicity, culture, pluralism, integration, segregation, and the African American cultural contributions to the Americas. Upper-division undergraduate and above."-Choice