Why read Ubuntu?

Book cover of Ubuntu: I in You and You in Me

Book description

As defined by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, a person with Ubuntu is open and available to others, affirming of others, does not feel threatened that others are able and good, for he or she has a proper self-assurance that comes from knowing that he or she belongs in a greater whole…

Explore

Topics

Genres

Coming soon!

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

1 author picked Ubuntu as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Barbara Newman

Author

I was excited to discover that coinherence, the medieval Christian idea of personhood I explore, has a close parallel to the African concept of Ubuntu. A Zulu word for “humanity,” Ubuntu offers a refreshing corrective to the excessive individualism of the West. In Ubuntu the source of identity is not individuality, but community; not “I think, therefore I am,” but “we are, therefore I am.”

Michael Battle, a disciple of Archbishop Desmond Tutu, explores what an Ubuntu notion of personhood means for everything from peacemaking to the struggle against racism and apartheid. Yes, philosophical ideas can have real-world consequences!

From Barbara's list on being a person in community.