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Eurocentric academic success comes through Eurocentric type Scholarship. Powerful thinking comes through ancient African detective type thinking.
One's personal thoughtful success comes through using good taste when acquiring knowledge. In 12th century Europe, scholarly work was confined to conforming to the generally accepted views and opinions of authorities -- authorities who believed, for example, that the world was flat. Aristotle, a student of ancient African sages (see "Stolen Legacy" by James), was accepted as the supreme Western authority.
Thus, the ancient Greek and the medieval scholarly rule was to be indifferent to facts and science if they disagreed with observation. Furthermore, creative European authors whose creative views were condemned by a council were forced to retract their creations because thinking outside "the box" was not allowed. Renaissance scholars merely made detailed commentaries on classical African, Greek, or Roman works and then claimed credit for the entire work ("The Hermetica," Freke p. 14-17; "The Black Apollo of Science"). "Survivals" of these Greek, medieval, and Renaissance practices continue today as Eurocentric models for scholarship.
Asante ("Afrocentric Idea" p 10, 40) says modern Eurocentric scholarship lacks historical or conceptual authenticity; possesses no intellectual correctives; and assumes that no other universe of thought exists. My observations show scholars' minds can be crammed full of information and yet have a limited, if not wrong, point of view. Or, they may know only a tiny piece of the puzzle and present it as the "big picture." Rarely is there discernment of "look-alike" concepts; or originality or depth of understanding of the "big picture"; or insightful synthesis that takes knowledge to a higher level.
My school courses, taught in assembly-line fashion, usually consisted of biased, mis represented, irrelevant, and strictly Eurocentric information that showed only an idealized good side. "Scholarship" was about taking the necessary school units, memorization to attain a certain grade level, and receiving a diploma. Thereafter, most classmate graduates had no desire to learn more because they were deluded into believing they had already learned all there is to know.
By contract, good taste in knowledge is about being able to recognize, to possess, and to feel good about having the right and the complete knowledge. This is obtained through detective thinking that guides the student into a thirst for lifelong learning -- into having an open, questioning, curious, and adventurous mind -- into demonstrating the courage to leave the academic crowd behind -- into either putting "on hold" or disregarding all that has been said, done, and "proven" before. The process involves boldly exploring new frontiers for discoveries; searching for whatever sheds light on the truth or on creations; and discovering new ways to approach reality or the unique or the humorous.
Such explorations force one to "stretch" one's mind; to view both sides of something from several angles; and to observe subtle details in each angle discovered. Good taste thinking is always done in multiple dimensions. Pertinent inferences are made from facts in order to get as close as possible to the truth and reality. "Reading between the lines" detects hidden meanings by discerning invisible bonds connecting similar and dissimilar things.
There is an ongoing process of redefining and updating the problem; of redesigning possible solutions as new knowledge arises; of investigating, discovering, and gathering more clues; and of arranging and rearranging available information into categories so as to better see interrelationships.
Whereas most people try to avoid the obstacles, the difficult, and the pitfalls, detective thinkers seek them out because therein lie essential gems for explaining cause and effect. Eurocentric Scholarship may or may not then be used to provide "theory" support and to bolster the work's credibility for acceptance by critics. In short, good taste in knowledge is refined judgement and the flower of good sense.
Joseph A. Bailey, II, M.D
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