Apart from his seminary training, Tempels had no further studies. His book was not written for philosophers, theologians and anthropologists, but for “missionaries, magistrates, [and] administrators” (Tempels 1946: 20). And although he wanted to go beyond the European civilizing mission in Africa, he could not escape from the prejudices embedded in European thinking at that time, which was highly indebted to philosophers such as Hegel and Levy-Bruhl.

Frans Dokman, Beyond Bantu Philosophy_…, loc. 85