In our today‘s global age one of the central challenges facing Africa is that of coming to terms positively with her cultural diversity. Furthermore Africa is confronted with the challenge of global cultural diversity that has been characteristic of our global age. One of the questions raised here is how can the intrinsic African cultural diversity be made comprehensible not only to non-Africans but also to Africans themselves? Talking of under-standing makes the issue a hermeneutical one. Hence the following questions, (...) how can this hermeneutical challenge be mastered? What tools are required in order to accomplish this mission? Any efforts towards accomplishing this task must have to put many dimensions into consideration. These include, among other things, the historical, regional, political, economic, etc. Such efforts would imply not only Africa being occupied with herself culturally, she on the other side needs to become relevantly conscious of the implications of these cultural dynamisms, understand it with reference to herself and the rest of the global community and finally interpret this phenomenon from an African perspective. These are the issues being addressed in this paper. (shrink)

Religions are not only communities of faith but also of communication. Religious communication takes place vertically between human beings and a transcendent holy entity. It also occurs horizontally among individuals and groups. This is the reason why religions cannot remain unaffected by the development and the future directions of the global digital network. In view of this situation, religions experience the challenge of giving ethical answers to pressing ques-tions particularly in the field of information and com-munication technology that is at (...) the same time an important instrument for religious communication. (shrink)

The global community is currently being confronted with an increasing urgent demand for dialogue among cultures and religions. The question arises with regards to efficient concepts or tools which will help to shape the encounter of the different religions and cultures of the world with one another. Indicative here is the cognition that hospitality has to do with a factor which is proven in almost all religions and cultures of the world. Hospitality is primarily an existential encounter and as such (...) it brings also the experience of difference in socio-religious traditions and in intercultural relations. Gegenwärtig wird in der Weltöffentlichkeit mit zunehmender Dringlichkeit die Forderung nach einem Dialog der Kulturen und der Religionen erhoben. Vor diesem Hintergrund stellt sich die Frage nach tragfähigen Konzepten, welche die Begegnung der Religionen und Kulturen der Welt gestalten helfen. Wegweisend hierfür ist die Erkenntnis, dass es sich bei der Gastfreundschaft um eine Gegebenheit handelt, welche in nahezu allen Religionen und Kulturen der Welt belegt ist. Gastfreundschaft ist zuallererst existentielle Begegnung und bringt als solche auch die Erfahrung der Differenz in die sozio-religiösen Traditionen und in die interkulturellen Beziehungen. (shrink)

Fur Descartes galt die Erkenntnistheorie als <I>prima philosophia. Mit der beruhmten Formel <I>cogito ergo sum erhob er das denkende Selbstbewusstsein zum <I>fundamentum inconcussum et primum veritatis. Diesen Primat der Erkenntnistheorie in der Neuzeit stellt Heidegger mit seinem ontologischen Ansatz in <I>Sein und Zeit in Frage. Das menschliche Erkennen ist fur ihn nicht etwas Ursprungliches, sondern etwas Abgeleitetes. Es setzt das <I>Verstehen voraus, das gemeinsam mit <I>Befindlichkeit und <I>Rede die ursprungliche Erschlossenheit des Daseins ausmacht. Spater sieht Heidegger, dass der Entwurf des (...) Verstehens vom Lichtungsgeschehen des Seins ermoglicht ist. Dabei gewinnt die Sprache eine grundlegende Funktion. Diese Abhandlung geht dem theoretischen Erkennen auf den Grund und bietet dabei einen neuen Horizont zum besseren Verstandnis von Heideggers Philosophie.". (shrink)