Sudanese Ethics

239 Pages·1968·16.82 MB·English

by  Tore Nordenstam

TORE NORDENSTAM
Sudanese Ethics
~"lI"'J'II\L'Wr\.n AFRIKAINSTITUTET
SUDANESE
ETHICS
TORE NORDENSTAM
The Scandinavian Institute ofAfrican Studies
UPPSALA 1968
The Scandinavian IllStitute of African Studieshasservedat Uppsala since I962 as
a Scandinavian documentatian and research centre on African affairs. The views
expressed in its publicatians are entirely those qftheauthorsanddo notnecessarily
riflectthe viewsofthe Institute.
© NordiskaAfrikainstitutet
Allrights reserved
Printedin Sweden by
Almqvist & WikseIls BoktryckeriAktiebolag
Uppsala 1968
Contents
PREFACE 9
Part 1. Methods in Descriptive Ethics
CHAPTER I. THEFIELD OFETHICS
I. Ethics and ideology . . . . . . . . 13
2. Demands on the definition of'ethics' 16
3. Definition of'ethics' . . . . . . . . 18
4. The special authority ofethics 20
5. Comparison with some other definitions ofethics 21
6. Ethical relevance and ethical adequacy
CHAPTER 2. THEDEDUCTIVEIDEAL
I. The subsumption model . . 27
2. The open texture ofethics 29
3. Methodological implications 31
4. Note on the teleological-deontological distinction 33
CHAPTER 3. THESTUllY OF IDEOLOGIES
I. Describing an ideal oflife 36
2. Three types ofideological research 40
3. Ideals and behaviour . . . . . 42
4. Verbal and non-verbal evidence . 43
CHAPTER 4. THE ETHICS OF VlRTUE
I. Ideal rules and rules ofduty 46
2. The inward-oriented and the outward-oriented conception
ofa virtue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
3. Agent-centered and action-centered systems ofethics . . . 50
4. Self-determined and other-determined systems ofethics . . 52
5. Heuristical advantages of an agent-centered approach to
ethics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 54
5
CHAPTER5. THEANALYSIS OF VIRTUES
I. The notion ofa virtue . . . . 56
2. "Avirtueis a trait ofcharacter" 58
3. Ideological research and psychology 59
4. Thelanguage ofvirtues and vices 61
5. Practical implications . . . . . 63
Part II. The Traditional Sudanese Virtues:
Same Case-Studies
CHAPTER6. SURVEYOFTHEINVESTIGATION
I. Introduction . 67
2. The informants . . . 68
3. The interviews . . . 70
4. Aim and methodology 71
5. Surveyofthe informants' ethics ofvirtue 74
CHAPTER 7. COURAGE,GENEROSITYAND HOSPITALITY
I. Courage asself-contral. . . . . . . . 77
2. The reasonableness criterion ofcourage 81
3. Moral courage . . . . . 83
4. Generosityand hospitality 85
CHAPTER 8. HONOUR AND DIGNITY
I. Introduction . 92
2. Honour (sIlaraf) . 93
3· Decency ('in!) 95
4. Dignity (karäma). 98
5. Karärna and dignitas 103
6. The rale ofkarärna 105
CHWTER 9. THE ETHICSOF RESPECTANDSELF-RESPECT
I. Respect andself-respect . . . . . . . . 106
2. Self-determination and other-determination. 109
3. Conformity and tolerance . . . . . . . . III
4. Inward-orientation and outwa'rd-orientation I13
5. Concludingremarks on the informants' ethics ofvirtue 115
CHAPTER 10. FURTHERPROBLEMS
I. Morphological and functional problems 117
2. The problem ofrepresentativity . . . 119
3. Historical and comparative problems 123
6
Part III. The Interviews
I. Interview with AH and Ibrahim, Dec. 4, 1963 129
2. Interviewwith Ali and Osman, Dec. II, 1963 137
3. Interview with Ali, Dec. 16, 1963 . . . . . 143
4. Interview with Osman, Dec. 23, 1963 158
5. Interview with AH, Ibrahim and Osman, Feb. 7, 1964 179
6. Interview with AH, Feb. 9, 1964 ..... 181
7. Interview with Osman, Feb. II, 1964 192
8. Interview with Ali and Osman, Feb. 19, 1964 213
Notes . 222
Note on the transliteration ofArabic words and names
References
Index 235
7
Preface
This is a study in descriptive ethics, based upon interviews with
Sudanese university students.
The first part of the book outlines a framework and methodol
ogy for research into ethical systems, with particular attention to
those aspects which have to do with personality ideals.
In the second part, this theoretical framework is applied in a
study of how some well-educated young Sudanese conceive of the
virtues which are traditionally highly valued in their own society:
courage, generosity and hospitality, honour, dignity and self
respect.
The third part of the book contains the transcripts of the
interviews.
Intercultural research into moral ideologies can be expected to
prove significant for moral theory, which has hitherto been con
cerned almost exclusively with European moral thinking. From
the practical point of view, studies of moral ideologies can be
seen as one aspect of the mapping of human resources which
might be expected to contribute both to more rational develop
ment planning and to the successful implementation of develop
ment programmes. There are reasons to pay special attention to
the educated elites when planning for development, since it is the
educated elite which has got the task of initiating and directing
the development of a country.
The book is a revised version of a University of Khartoum
doctorai thesis. A report on a further study of moral concepts
among Sudanese university students is in preparation.
I am deeply grateful to all those students, collegues and friencls
who have assistecl in the project. In particular, I should like to
thank the three main informants for their invaluable coopera
tion; Prof. A. P. Cavenclish and Prof. Håkan Törnebohm for
their constructive criticism ancl constant encouragement; and the
Scandinavian Institute of African Stuclies for practical assistance.
I shoulcl also like to take the opportunity to express my gratitude
9
to Profs. E. E. Evans-Pritchard, lC-G. Izikowitz, Sven Krohn, Arne
Na:ss, K. E. Tran0Y and G. H. von 'I\Tright for valuable comments
on the first version of this book. Publicatian grants from the
Swedish Research Council for the Social Sciences and the Nath
horst Faundatian are gratefully acknowledged.
10
Part I
Methods in Descriptive Ethics