DCE

ASSESSMENT
5/29/2022

SOCIAL ETHICS
NAME: MINENHLE
SURNAME: KUMALO
STUDENT NUMBER: u20733497
EMAIL ADDRESS:
u20733497@tuks.co.za
MODULE CODE: DCE 310
LECTURE: H. MDINGI
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1) INTRODUCTION
Western values and norms are put first today this means the idea of conceptualizing of what
is significant to the community and what is not significant in other communities. The
function of decoloniality gives a proper example for the above statement. The society itself
must adhere to the surroundings and problems that are faced. The question at hand is, do
these societies understand the main cause of these problems? As they are living day by day.
Do know how to approach ethical questions and solutions that are brought upon the society?

2) THE LENSES OF DECOLONIALITY

Decoloniality critiques the perceived universality of Western knowledge and the superiority
of Western culture.

Grosfoguel (2013:74) argues that this essay is primarily concerned with the formation of
modern/colonial knowledge structures as the underlying epistemology of Westernized
universities, as well as their consequences for knowledge decolonization. He also continues
to state that social scientific practicality or any theory limited to experience, and world views
come from conception based on social/historical experiences and sensitivities as well as
world views of spaces and bodies. This knowledge is brought about by different men that
come from different countries, there theory and praxis are supposed to be enough to explain
the social and ancient realities of the world.

Current essays written by Grosfoguel (2013:74) indicate that these social theories, which are
built on the cultural experiences of men from five countries, are the basis of today's
Westernized universities' Social Sciences and Humanities. Epistemic inferiority is the other
perspective of epistemic privilege. Epistemic superiority and advantage are two sides of the
same coin. Epistemic racism/sexism is the other side of the coin. Other mechanisms,
cosmological theories, and world views arising from other world-regions with different place
dimensions and characterized by different political geographies and body-politics of
knowledge are considered "inferior" in compared to the "superior" knowledge created by the
few Western men of five countries that made the canon of thought in the Humanities and
Social Sciences in Westernized universities.

According to Grosfoguel (2013:74-75) the knowledge comes from the Global South's
social/ancient experiences and worldviews, also known as "non-Western," is viewed as
superior and excluded from the canon of thought. Additionally, women's knowledge
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(Western or non-Western) is seen as inferior and excluded from the canon of thought. The
Westernized university's integrated knowledge frameworks are both normatively racist and
sexist. He also includes that we need to go back and talk about formation of racism and
sexism in the modern world. The Cartesian legacy has been so powerful in the Western
structures of knowledge. The article further explains the talks about Cartesian philosophy, the
second part being on the Conquest of Al-Andalus and the last one is the conquest of the
Americans.

(A) CARTESIAN PHILOSOPHY

Grosfoguel (2013:75) states that one of the scholars Rene Descartes is recognized with
establishing philosophical thought. Since the Roman Empire, Descartes' most famous line "I
think, therefore I am" has created a new body of knowledge that has disputed the sovereignty
of knowledge. The new base of knowledge produced by Cartesianism is this new "I," not the
Christian God. Although Descartes never explains who this "I" is, it is evident that this "I"
replaces God as the new base of knowledge in his theory, and its traits are a decline of
religion of the Christian God's attributes. So according to Descartes, the "I" can acquire
knowledge that is truth beyond time and place, universal in the sense that it is untouched by
any individuality—"objective" being viewed as identical with "neutrality" and like God-Eye
perspective.

According to Grosfoguel (2013:75) Descartes gives two main factors to make the claim of a
"I" that produces knowledge comparable to a God-Eye view: one is ontological, and the other
is epistemological. Both arguments are essential for the argument that this "I" to
give knowledge that is akin to a God-Eye standpoint. Ontological dualism is the first
argument. The mind, according to Descartes, is made of a different component than the body.
This allows the mind to be reduced without being trained by the body. Descartes can argue
that the mind is like the Christian God, floating in heaven and undisturbed by anything
earthly, and that it can gain knowledge like a God-Eye vision in this fashion. In the sense that
it is not determined by any distinctiveness, it is beyond any condition or existence, the
universality here is equivalent to Christian God's universality. On Christianity, God is shown
as a white, old, bearded guy with a cane sitting in a cloud, watching over everyone, and
punishing those who misbehave.

Grosfoguel (2013:76) argues that the second argument made by Descartes is epistemic. He
believes that subjectivity is the only method through which the "I" may obtain certainty in
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creating knowledge. How can the "I" combat scepticism and achieve knowledge production
certainty? Descartes' answer is that this may be achieved by the subject having an inner voice
with himself (the gender here is not random for reasons that will be revealed later). Solipsism
is a method in which the subject asks and answers questions in an internal monologue until it
achieves knowing certainty.

According to Grosfoguel (2013:76) The primary implication is that the claim about a "I"
capable of generating certainty in knowledge apart from social relationships with other
people is disproved. There would be no pragmatic, unplaced, and asocial knowledge
production without epistemic solipsism because the "I" would be social relationships, in
particular social/historical contexts. It cannot be argued that the human "I" can acquire
knowledge equivalent to a God Eye view if knowledge is formed in certain interpersonal
relationships, that is, inside a single culture.

Grosfoguel (2013:76) views that in Westernized knowledge creation efforts, Cartesian

philosophy has had a major influence. Cartesian philosophy implies a point zero
epistemology, or a point of view that is not aware of its own existence. Rene Descartes'
importance for Westernized epistemology may be observed in the fact that Westernized
institutions continue to use the Cartesian heritage as a validating standard for research and
knowledge production after 370 years. Even critics of Cartesian philosophy utilize it as a
criterion for distinguishing science from non-science. The "subject-object" distinction,
"objectivity" as "neutrality," and the "unbiased" EGO myth.

Current essays written by Grosfoguel (2013:76) indicate that Cartesian ego-politics of

knowledge is dismissed as twisted, invalid, irrelevant, and unserious knowledge. Cartesian
philosophy developed the "Western man tradition of thought," which was a world-historical
event. Prior to Descartes, no intellectual tradition claimed to be able to produce God-like or
God-equivalent knowledge. In the long 16th century, there were four genocides/epistemic
ides: 1) against Muslims and Jews in the conquest of Al-Andalus in the name of "purity of
blood"; 2) against indigenous peoples first in the Americas and then in Asia; 3) against
African people with the captive trade and their enslavement in the Americas; and 4) against
women who practiced and transmitted Indo-European knowledge in Europe burned alive
accused of being witches.
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These four genocides were also epistemic ides, which are a part of Western men's epistemic
privilege. We must not only review history but also explain how and why racism originated
to support this argument

(B) CONQUEST OF AL-ANDIST

According to Grosfoguel (2013:78) in the late 15th hundreds, the ultimate conquest of Al-
Andalus was conducted out under the symbol of "purity of blood." During the Catholic
Monarchy's colonial conquest of Andalusian territory to destroy the Sultanate of Granada, the
last Muslim political control in the Iberian Peninsula, this was a proto-racist discourse against
Muslim and Jewish populations. Ethnic cleansing in Andalusia led in physical and cultural
genocide of Muslims and Jews. Staying Jews and Muslims have been either killed or
compelled to convert. The following acts of physical genocide and cultural epistemic idea
were used to achieve ethnic cleansing:

 After the killing of Muslims and Jews, the region was inhabited with Christian people
from the Iberian Peninsula's north. This is known as "settler colonialism" in the
literature today.
 Genocide culminated in the conquest of those Jews and Muslims who chose to remain
in the region. Memory, knowledge, and spirituality were all destroyed when Muslims
were turned into Moriscos, and Jews became Marranos. The second ensured that
future Marrano and Moros descendants would be born Christian, with no memories of
their ancestors.

Grosfoguel (2013:78) views that the “purity of blood’ was used to observe the Muslim and
Jewish people who overcome the territory fights. With this they were forced to change to
Christianity, and they were checked by the Christian heads to assure that they are not faking
the process of change. The expression "purity of blood" was used to track down converts and
their descendants. It was talking about the population's "family tree." In the case of Christian
converts, the "family tree" provided state authorities with the information they needed to
determine whether an individual's or a family's ancestry was "purely" Christian or "non-
Christian." The "purity of blood" concept did not bring into question the victims' humanity.
This was seeing that Jews and Muslims were people with a wrong God or wrong religion. It
is of significance that we explain this since the probability of change was still in the European
Medieval religious discrimination.
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Current essays written by Grosfoguel (2013:78-79) indicate that there was no question about
the victims' humanity. The religious identity of the social subjects was being questioned. The
classificatory system in use at the time was based on a theological concern over having the
"wrong God" or "wrong religion" to divide society along religious lines and it is important
that the “purity of blood.” The Al-Andalus conquering narrative was a religious prejudice that
was not yet racist because it did not dispute the humanity of its victims in a significant way.

(C) CONQUEST OF THE AMERICAS IN RELATION TO THE CONQUEST OF AL-ANDALUS:

GENOCIDE/EPISTEMIC IDEAS AGAINST INDIGENOUS PEOPLES, MARRANOS, MORISCOS,
AND AFRICANS

According to Grosfoguel (2013:79) They told Columbus to hold off until the "Kingdom of
Granada," the Iberian Peninsula's final sultanate, was taken. In contrast to Al-Andalus, where
there were multiple Islamic states (sultanates) with recognition of rights to "multiple
identities and spiritualities within their territorial boundaries," the Castilian Christian
Monarchy's goal was to unify the territorial integrity under its command through the rule of
"one state, one identity, one religion." The literature on the relationship between the conquest
of Al-Andalus and the conquest of the Americas is lacking. The colonization and dominance
strategies utilized against Al-Andalus were applied to the Americas. The conquest of Al-
Andalus was so significant to the Spanish invaders that Hernan Cortés, the conqueror of
Mexico, mistook the Aztec sacred temples for Mosques.

Grosfoguel (2013:79) argues evangelization methods utilized against indigenous peoples in

the Americas underwent a similar transformation. It was influenced by the Iberian Peninsula's
anti-Muslim tactics. At the same time, it was "spiritualicide" and "epistemicide." In the
conquest of both Al-Andalus and the Americas, the loss of knowledge and spirituality went
hand in hand. However, understanding how the conquest of the Americas influenced the
conquest of the Iberian Peninsula by "Moriscos" and "Marranos" in the 16th century is
critical. With the formation of the modern/colonial world-system in the long 16th century, the
conquest of the Americas was at the core of new discourses and modes of dominance.

Grosfoguel (2013:80) "Colour racism" was not the first racist speech, contrary to popular
belief. In the long 16th century, the "Capitalist/Patriarchal Western-Centric/Christian-centric
modern/colonial world-system" arose, "religious racism" was the first marker of racism. In
late 15th and early 16th century Spain, the phrase "those without faith" was coined. The
conquest of the Americas sparked a controversy over whether the "people without religion"
discovered by Columbus were "humans with a soul or without a soul." The argument
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followed the following logic: 1) without religion, there is no God; 2) without a God, there is
no soul; and 3) without a soul, there is no life.

Grosfoguel (2013: 82) The term "Indian" was coined as a new modern/colonial identity
construct that unified the disparate identities that existed in the Americas prior to European
colonization. It's also worth remembering that Columbus mistakenly believed he'd arrived in
India, prompting the usage of the term "Indian" to describe the people he met. "Indian"
emerges as a new identity out of this Eurocentric geographical blunder. However, asking
whether "Indians" have a soul was already a discriminatory inquiry that directly addressed
their humanity.

(D) THE CONQUEST OF INDO-EUROPEAN WOMEN: GENOCIDE/EPISTEMICIDE AGAINST

WOMEN

Grosfoguel (2013: 82) argues that in the 16th century, there was a fourth genocide/epistemic
ide that was not often linked to the history of the previous three genocides/epistemic ides.
This refers to the conquering and genocide of European women who passed down Indo-
European wisdom from generation to generation. From the dawn of time, these women had
acquired indigenous knowledge. Their knowledge ranged from astronomy to medicine to
biology to ethics, among other subjects. They were empowered by their ancestral knowledge
and their leadership roles within communities based on commune-style economic and
political structures. Beginning in the late Middle Ages, these ladies were persecuted. With the
advent of "modern/colonial capitalist/patriarchal" power structures in the 16th and 17th
centuries (long 16th century), it deepened.

Grosfoguel (2013: 83) During the Early Modern period, millions of women were burned alive
after being suspected of being witches. The attack on these women was a strategy to entrench
Christian-centric patriarchy and undermine independent communal forms of land ownership,
given their authority and leadership. This offensive was spearheaded by the Inquisition. The
charge was an attack on thousands of women whose autonomy, leadership, and knowledge
undermined Christian theology, Church authority, and the power of the aristocracy, which
had transnationally transformed into a capitalist class in both the colonies and European
agriculture.

This debate has huge implications for the decolonization of Westernized universities. Until
now, the Westernized university has operated under the assumption of universalism, in which
"one (Western men from five countries) dictates what is true and genuine knowledge for the
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rest." Decolonizing the Westernized university's knowledge frameworks will necessitate,

among other things Recognize the basic epistemic structures of provincialism and epistemic
racism/sexism that resulted from the 16th century's genocidal/epistemicidal
colonial/patriarchal endeavours.

3)