[1][2][3][4] Wiredu was born in Kumasi, Gold Coast (present-day Ghana), in 1931, and attended Adisadel College from 1948 to 1952.
It was during this period that he discovered philosophy, through Plato (which weaned him from his interest in Practical Psychology) and Bertrand Russell.
Wiredu held a number of visiting professorships: He was a member of the Committee of Directors of the International Federation of Philosophical Societies from 1983 to 1998.
[9] Wiredu opposed the "ethnophilosophical" and "philosophical sagacity" approaches to African philosophy, arguing that all cultures have their distinctive folk-beliefs and world-views, but that these must be distinguished from the practice of philosophising.
Further, Wiredu states that the second dimension, the normative conception of personhood, is based on one's ability to will freely.
This differs from the Western conception of personhood in that people, in traditional Akan thought, are not born as willed beings.
"[12] His influences include, apart from his tutors at Oxford, David Hume, Immanuel Kant, the pragmatist John Dewey, and the epistemological, metaphysical, and ethical resources of the Akan culture.
He wished to shed light and understanding to their belief systems and what they believe to be true and physical.