
Ubuntu Ethics
Human Dignity, Moral Perfectionism, and Needs
Motsamai Molefe(Author)
Routledge (Publisher)
1st Edition
Published on 30. January 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
98 pages
978-1-032-84628-6 (ISBN)
Description
This book provides a philosophical exposition of Ubuntu ethics, which it does by explaining the saying 'a person is a person through other persons'. Written by one of the world's leading scholars of African philosophy, the book first argues that the focus on umuntu (or, a person) in Ubuntu ethics as intrinsically valuable makes ethical humanism and human dignity vitally important. The book then goes on to consider the role of virtue ethics in driving an ideal of moral perfectionism. This, in turn, provides the basis for what a good society should be: a needs-based political theory. Providing an important guide through Ubuntu ethics as a moral system constructed in terms of moral perfectionism, it will be an important read for researchers of African philosophy, and of the philosophy of virtue ethics and moral perfectionism more generally.
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Academic, Postgraduate, and Undergraduate Advanced
Dimensions
Height: 216 mm
Width: 140 mm
Thickness: 6 mm
Weight
148 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-032-84628-6 (9781032846286)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
09/2024
1st Edition
Routledge
€31.49
Available for download

E-Book
09/2024
1st Edition
Routledge
€31.49
Available for download

Book
09/2024
1st Edition
Routledge
€78.10
Shipment within 10-20 days
Person
Motsamai Molefe is an Associate Professor, University of South Africa, Graduate School of Business Leadership, South Africa. He specialises in African philosophy, Ethics, and Governance. He serves as the Chair of Department: Inter-Africa Trade and Investment. He is the Editor-in-chief of the South African Journal of Philosophy. His recent co-authored book African Ethics and Death: Moral Status and Human Dignity in Ubuntu Thinking (Routledge, 2023) and co-edited book Human Dignity in an African Context (Palgrave, 2023).
Content
Introduction to Ubuntu ethics 1. Ubuntu Ethics, Umuntu and Human Dignity 2. Ubuntu Ethics, ubuntu and Human Dignity 3. Ubuntu Ethics and Politics