Belief in Witchcraft and Sorcery in African Culture: A Philosophical Analysis

Abstract

This paper undertakes a philosophical examination of the widely held belief in witchcraft and sorcery in Africa particularly, and by  implication, in other societies of the world. Witchcraft, sorcery and their associated beliefs, have over the centuries, been sustained in the  consciousness of humans by religion and culture, and find explicit focus in popular television, films (like Nollywood) and in fiction. The  study grapples with a fundamental problem of ascertaining whether such beliefs can be justified on epistemological grounds. The big  question is whether the belief in the existence of witchcraft and sorcery is simply a myth or an incontrovertible fact? In attempting to  address this question, the paper employs a critical method using basic epistemological tools for its analysis. Our objective is to establish a  rational basis for either accepting or rejecting, elucidating or deconstructing such widely accepted beliefs. Findings, here, however,  show that such beliefs exist only at the realm of the mystical; and apparently lacks scientific and epistemological justifications. The paper  concludes that, though, the belief in witchcraft and sorcery helps to explain some mysterious events beyond science, there exists some  epistemological gaps and missing links begging for further explanations.