1001Philosophers

Anton Wilhelm Amo Quotes

Anton Wilhelm Amo was a German philosopher of West African origin, born among the Akan people on what is now the coast of Ghana. Brought to the Duchy of Brunswick-Wolfenbuttel as a child, he received an extensive humanistic education and became the first known African to earn a doctorate from a European university. The quotes below are attributed to Anton Wilhelm Amo, organized by topic.

Anton Wilhelm Amo on Knowledge

  • Attributed to Anton Wilhelm Amo:

    “The art of sober and accurate philosophizing requires distinct definitions.”

Anton Wilhelm Amo on Mind

  • Attributed to Anton Wilhelm Amo:

    “The acts of sensing are not properly acts of the mind.”

  • Attributed to Anton Wilhelm Amo:

    “The mind is incorporeal, and what is incorporeal does not feel.”

  • Attributed to Anton Wilhelm Amo:

    “Sensation belongs to the living body, not to the mind.”

Anton Wilhelm Amo on Truth

  • Attributed to Anton Wilhelm Amo:

    “Truth is the agreement of thought with the thing.”