STUDENT NUMBER: 10284313
MODULE CODE: PLS1502
UNIQUE NUMBER: 826756
SUBMISSION DATE: SEPTEMBER 2022
ASSIGNMENT 02
SEMESTER 2
OPTION B: E. Biakolo identified 5 (five) categories of cross-cultural cognition which he
claims are often used to distinguish Africans from Europeans, which he calls the African
condition. G
In an effort to show how seriously wrong the methodology used to understand the value
of the personhood of the African and his intellectual creations was, Biakolo has started
to examine a number of cross-cultural paradigms. He looked at five groups, which are:
(1) primitive vs. civilized; (2) pre-logical vs. logical; (3) perceptual vs. conceptual; (4)
oral vs. written; and (5) religious vs. scientific.
Savage vs civilised
Westerners predominated in using this paradigm to comprehend the "other." The
Westerner was viewed as "civilized," while the African was viewed as "savage." In the
eyes of Eurocentric academics, Africans were brutish, stupid, indolent, cunning,
treacherous, bloodthirsty, thieving, untrustworthy, and superstitious. The civilized
Westerner, however, was capable of having a unique brilliance. The inference was that
since "the other" races were seen as inferior to Westerners, treating them as such
through colonization and slavery was rational and appropriate.
Pre-logical vs logical
The label of a "pre logical mentality" was attached to the categorization of the people as
"underdeveloped" by western society. When compared to the laws of logic as they are
often understood in western traditions, this gave rise to the ideas of "pre-logical versus
logical." This served as the foundation for understanding how savage (a primitive
culture) and civilized societies differed in terms of culture and evolutionary routes.
Because of its cultural customs and numerous unwritten beliefs, Africa was considered
MODULE CODE: PLS1502
UNIQUE NUMBER: 826756
SUBMISSION DATE: SEPTEMBER 2022
ASSIGNMENT 02
SEMESTER 2
OPTION B: E. Biakolo identified 5 (five) categories of cross-cultural cognition which he
claims are often used to distinguish Africans from Europeans, which he calls the African
condition. G
In an effort to show how seriously wrong the methodology used to understand the value
of the personhood of the African and his intellectual creations was, Biakolo has started
to examine a number of cross-cultural paradigms. He looked at five groups, which are:
(1) primitive vs. civilized; (2) pre-logical vs. logical; (3) perceptual vs. conceptual; (4)
oral vs. written; and (5) religious vs. scientific.
Savage vs civilised
Westerners predominated in using this paradigm to comprehend the "other." The
Westerner was viewed as "civilized," while the African was viewed as "savage." In the
eyes of Eurocentric academics, Africans were brutish, stupid, indolent, cunning,
treacherous, bloodthirsty, thieving, untrustworthy, and superstitious. The civilized
Westerner, however, was capable of having a unique brilliance. The inference was that
since "the other" races were seen as inferior to Westerners, treating them as such
through colonization and slavery was rational and appropriate.
Pre-logical vs logical
The label of a "pre logical mentality" was attached to the categorization of the people as
"underdeveloped" by western society. When compared to the laws of logic as they are
often understood in western traditions, this gave rise to the ideas of "pre-logical versus
logical." This served as the foundation for understanding how savage (a primitive
culture) and civilized societies differed in terms of culture and evolutionary routes.
Because of its cultural customs and numerous unwritten beliefs, Africa was considered
