Abstract

Discussion of sexuality in African cultures has a long history, but since the 1990s ethical reflections on homosexuality on the continent have often degenerated into furors and provoked a spate of anti-gay legislation in several countries. Refutations of homophobic dispositions encounter as barrier a pervasive belief in African cultures, that childbearing for community replenishment is a cherished moral duty. Several philosophers consider these to be exaggerated inhibitions that unjustifiably impede social acceptance of homosexuality, and have proposed as a solution what they consider to be self-justifying political-moral principles, that terminate in value-pluralistic ideas such as the acceptance of the equality of sexual orientations and vindication of the right to the freedom to choose and satisfy sexual desire. I question the adequacy of such self-justificatory normative principles and consider the solutions they proffer as depreciating the moral point of the African pro-natalist position. Consequently, I develop a moral argument grounded in the ontology of Kwame Gyekye’s moderate communitarian theory of personhood as the most persuasive justification for homosexuality.

摘要

非洲文化中关于性的讨论由来已久，但自 1990 年代以来，非洲大陆对同性恋的伦理反思经常堕落为愤怒，并在几个国家引发了一系列反同性恋立法。对恐同倾向的反驳遇到了非洲文化中普遍存在的障碍，即为社区补充生育是一项珍贵的道德责任。一些哲学家认为这些是夸大的限制，无理地阻碍了社会对同性恋的接受，并提出了他们认为是自我辩护的政治道德原则的解决方案，这些原则最终以价值多元主义的思想结束，例如接受男女平等。性取向和维护自由选择和满足性欲的权利。我质疑这种自我辩护的规范性原则的充分性，并认为它们提供的解决方案贬低了非洲亲生育主义立场的道德观点。因此，我提出了一个道德论点，其基础是 Kwame Gyekye 的温和的社群主义人格理论作为同性恋最有说服力的理由。