Philosophy, Identity and Liberation Biko was considered a ‘brilliant political theorist’ and a formidable and articulate philosopher. Biko was not simply and merely a philosopher in the manner in which Immanuel Kant was a philosopher, but a philosopher of a special kind, an important African existential philosopher. From Biko’s writings, speeches and interviews, Mabogo More’s view is that philosophy is not a disembodied system of ideas nor a mechanical reflection of the world; rather, it is a way of existing and acting. To be a philosopher, especially an African existential philosopher, is not just to hold certain views; it is a way of perceiving and being in the world, which Biko himself describes as a way of life. This important perspective on Biko would be of value to many African philosophers of existence, African philosophers, political and social thinkers, social scientists, psychologists, cultural critics, political activists, students, critical race theorists and anyone interested in the ideas that Biko presents.