MY PEOPLE PERISH FOR LACK OF
PHILOSOPHY
An inaugural lecture delivered
at the University of Ibadan
on Thursday, 11August, 2011
By
KOLAWOLE A. OLU-OWOLABI
Professor of Philosophy
Faculty of Arts.
University of Ibadan
Ibadan, Nigeria.
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
Ibadan University Press
Publishing House
University of Ibadan
Ibadan, Nigeria.
© University of Ibadan, 2011
Ibadan, Nigeria
First Published 2011
All Rights Reserved
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic,
photocopying, recording or otherwise, without permission in
writing from the publisher.
ISBN: 978 - 978 - 8414 - 59 - 9
Printed by: Ibadan University Printery
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
The Vice-Chancellor, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Adminis-
tration), Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic), Re,18trar,
Librarian, Provost of the College of Medicine, Dean 0/ the
Faculty of Arts, Dean of the Postgraduate School, Dean, of
other Faculties, and of Students, Distinguished Ladies and
Gentlemen.
Preamble
Read! In the name of thy Lord and Cherisher who created
you from the clot of blood (Holy Quran Chapter 96,
versel).
Although the ritual of an inaugural lecture is a heritage of the
academic tradition from the medieval Europe where the idea
of the university in its present form originated, prevailing
circumstances of our time today necessitate certain adjust-
ments to this tradition in many of the Nigerian universities.
At our own University of Ibadan, one of such amendments to
the tradition is that rather than at inauguration, as the name
implies, or as a matter of right or duty, as is the case in some
other universities elsewhere, an inaugural lecture has become
a privilege, a waiting game, which comes only when one is
fortunate to survive in the system until it gets to one's tum on
the long queue of aspiring candidates. For this reason, the
moment of presenting an inaugural lecture has become an
occasion for celebration, or an occasion for thanksgiving.
For me, the privilege of standing. on this podium to
profess my academic vision has always been a dream which I
never thought could be realized, for the simple reason, that I
never believed I would live long enough to become a
professor. Therefore, the question of delivering an inaugural
lecture does not arise. J am therefore grateful to the Almighty
God for sparing my life to this moment and for counting me
worthy to be among the living today.
My inaugural lecture is the third from the Faculty of Arts
this academic session, a beneficiary of the new university .
policy of granting those faculties with many aspiring lecturers
the opportunity to clear their backlog: The first two lectures
from the Faculty of Arts this session were, respectively, from
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
African Studies and Linguistics. Mine is coming from the
discipline of philosophy, the first academic discipline and,
indeed, the progenitor of all other disciplines. For this reason,
I like to believe that whatever I say in this forum will not only
be on behalf of philosophy alone but also of all other areas of
knowledge.
This is the second inaugural lecture from the Department
of Philosophy, the first one having been presented in 1983 by
the founding father of the department, the late Professor Peter
Oluwambe Bodunrin, We need to be reminded that
Philosophy, despite its foundational role, was not considered
appropriate to be part of the curriculum of this University
until 1974. But despite its late arrival, apart from Peter
Bodunrin, the department has also produced three other
eminent Professors: Godwin. Sogolo, Felix Adeigbo and
Olusegun Oladipo. These scholars were unable to present
their inaugural lectures due to no fault of theirs, but simply
because of the long delay that hitherto attended the culture of
inaugural lecture in this University. Professor Olusegun
Oladipo, on his own part, was preparing to give his inaugural
lecture in 2009 when, tragically, he was seized by the cold
hands of death. May his gentle soul continue to rest in eternal
peace. Apart from the four mentioned earlier, there are two of
us who are professors in the department (Professor Dipo Irele
and myself). This department has also produced over fifty
doctorates with many of its products serving as lecturers in
virtually all the Departments of Philosophy in the country and
outside. On account of this, we feel able to say, with some
amount of satisfaction, that against all odds the department
has done well .in just over three and a half decade of its
existence in this University.
In the Beginning was the Word
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with
God, and the Word was God (John 1:1).
Mr. Vice-Chancellor, the main purpose of this lecture today, I
like to say from the outset, is notto display my competence
2
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
as an academic philosopher, the modesty associated with the
discipline of philosophy forbids any such exercise in conceit.
Nor is it to serve as an avenue to proclaim my research
agenda, because after twenty-eight years of teaching and
researching in this University, my research agenda should
now be clear or else my employer should be thinking of
revisiting our terms of contract. My task in this present
lecture is precisely to further strengthen what I have been
doing all these years. The essential object of this lecture is in
conformity with what the political economist, Thandika
Mkandawire, who in a recent inaugural lecture at the London
. School of Economics, following Richard Henry Tawney,
another occupier of a professorial chair at the same institu-
tion, regards as the main purpose of an inaugural lecture,
vindicating "the claims of the department of knowledge
represented by the lecturer against bold, bad men who would
question its primacy" (Mkadawire 2010: 1). As this scholar
envisaged, a scholar in the area of Philosophy whose primacy
as a foundational discipline is always disputed needs to
confront "those bold, bad men", who question the primacy of
Philosophy. This is precisely my mission in this lecture.
This discourse seeks to correct the erroneous impression
that Philosophy is irrelevant to the challenge of transforming
the situation of the human society. This lecture is indeed an
attempt to vindicate the claim of philosophy that only a
critical and rigorous enquiry can put a society on the path of
genuine and sustainable transformation. The lecture will
further demonstrate through arguments that the precarious
situation of the African society and the predicament of the
global community are due to the disregard of the philoso-
phical spirit. The lecture will finally maintain that the
adoption of the philosophical temperament, of a rigorous,
critical and painstaking planning of the African society, will
expedite the resolution of the prevailing African crisis. It will
also argue that without the philosophical temper, the goodies
presented to the. global community by the scientific culture
could become a burden with the prevailing uncontrolled
explorative tendencies of modem technology. Through all
3
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
these, this lecture intends to roall.. the higher ideal of an
inaugural lecture as identified by a distinguished predecessor
at this same forum, Professor Abiola Irele, who maintains that
the valuable goal of an inaugural lecture is to serve "humanity
in the unique way and with the special abilities which
academics are endowed" (lrele 1982).
The anxiety for the resolution of the African crisis and the
excitement about the material transformation created by the
scientific and technological revolution in the Western
dominated global world made both the African and the global
societies to disregard academic disciplines that have only
remote, not readily visible utilitarian value" for the ailing
societies, like the philosophical discipline ..It is for this reason
that the philosophical discipline has been avoided like a
plague or treated like a slave in the contemporary world. To
ignore the philosophical because its relevance is not easily
discernable is to fail to realize the very strong connection
between thought and practice. And to do that is to invite
disaster, whether physically, as we- have it in Africa, or
psychologically, as we feel it in the Western dominated
global society. This is the reason why this lecture is
provocatively and rhetorically titled "My People Perish for
Lack of Philosophy".
The discipline of Philosophy as we have said is a tragic
figure, constantly being harassed and with its relevance being
questioned not only by outsiders but even by the practitioners
of the vocation. The tragic fate of the philosophical discipline
is a dual situation. Furthermore, the discipline in its critical
habit of revisiting its essence through self criticism is
constantly under the threat of self annihilation, this discipline,
as the foundation of other intellectual disciplines is also
constantly being challenged by other disciplines as a useless
enterprise that should be eliminated for its "obscurantism"
and irrelevance. It is this notion that philosophy is regarded as
the first of the so-called useless disciplines that Professor
Galloway, formerly of our own Department of Religious
Studies, attempted to defend (Galloway 1956). The sciences,
the social sciences and even the remaining humanistic
disciplines that philosophy conceived and produced at a time
in the history of Western scholarly tradition is now in
4
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
conspiracy with the policy makers to ensure that the mother
discipline is finally shown the way out from the concert of
intellectual disciplines.
This act of matricide or a kind of "Oedipus complex" that
the rejection of philosophy by other disciplines implies needs
to be resisted for the continued survival of the human race. In
reaction to this intended matricide by other disciplines, the
.Austrian philosopher, Joachim Jung, refers to these disci-
plines "as the unfaithful children who show so little gratitude
to the mother of sciences, who brought up all of them" (Jung
2000: 3). In relation to Africa, it becomes ironic that the
neglect of the philosophical venture due to the anxiety for the
resolution of the pending crisis in the continent is a grievous
mistake. The crisis arose in the first place because the African
society has operated on the erroneous assumption that social
crisis can only be avoided if the society embraces academic
disciplines that can provide immediate material values and
ignore those disciplines like philosophy whose depth and
rigour make their social relevance not apparent to the
uncritical mind.
The title of this lecture is therefore an allusion to the
biblical passage, from the book of Hosea 4:6. The precise
quotation is, "my people perish for lack of knowledge". A
slight adjustment of that spiritual observation is the title of
my lecture. If I remain scrupulously faithful to my source and
retain knowledge instead ~ philosophy it would still have
been a very poignant and appropriate summary of my
academic research in my area of specialization, which is
Epistemology. Epistemology, to which I have devoted my
research career, is the area of philosophy dealing with the
theory of knowledge. Hence, if I have been faithful to the
biblical statement, it would have been appropriate to define
and express my research vision as a theorist of knowledge.
But the real object of that biblical statement is not
"knowledge" in its limited sense but rather applied know-
ledge transformed into wisdom. In a sense, it is an idea that is
wider than knowledge. This idea encompasses the totality of
human values produced after a rigorous reflection. It can only
5
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
be captured by the word "philosophy" which connotes the
refinement of knowledge, an idea that is nearer in connotation
to wisdom than knowledge. It is therefore my considered
opinion that the present crisis-ridden society of Africa, and
indeed the global community is witnessing crisis in diverse
dimensions because of the deliberate neglect of the cluster of
values that have become associated with the philosophical
enterprise. This is the reason why I believe that the biblical
concept, "knowledge", is less appropriate and therefore
replaced with the more appropriate word, "philosophy". It is
my well-considered belief that perhaps it is the word
"philosophy" instead of "knowledge" that appropriately con-
veys the message and purport of the Bible, but this became
lost during the tedious project of translation of this biblical
passage from the original Hebrew language to English.
To drive home the point I have been making and also to
connect this discourse with the development of my academic
career, let me make a digression. This will involve me in a
brief autobiography. Like most students of philosophy in this
part of the world, I came to philosophy accidentally.
Philosophy was chosen for me surreptitiously, but, now with
the benefit of hindsight, providentially by my uncle, Professor
A. I. Asiwaju, who is today an Emeritus Professor of History.
He chose it as a course for me because he considered it as the
closest to law that I had intended to study then. My interest in
philosophy was further aroused by my discovery that the
discipline is not at all as worthless as the ordinary Nigerians
of the early eighties considered it to be. I discovered that
rather than being sent to a barren, unproductive life of
nihilism, I have been given a golden opportunity to under-
stand the meaning and essence of human knowledge in all its
ramifications through the adoption of the tools for the critical
reflection on all human challenges.
It is this interest in Philosophy as foundational to all
human knowledge that facilitated my choice of Epistemology,
a branch of philosophy devoted to the critical analysis of the
justification of the entire human knowledge, during my
postgraduate programme. My doctoral thesis submitted to the
6
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
/',1 ;
Department of Philosophy of the University of Lagos, and
successfully defended on the 9th of May 1989 was on the
theme of Edmund Husser!' s theory that the. entire human
knowledge can be justified on the basis of the neutrality and
transcendence of the subject of knowledge (Owolabi 1989).
My critique of this German philosopher and the producer of
the phenomenological method of philosophy gave me an
insight into the interface between human knowledge, its
justification and the connection of these with social issues
and problems. My entire career as a researcher became devo-
ted to the discussion of the challenge of human knowledge
and its connection to the various crises facing humanity.
I commenced my career in philosophical research and
teaching in the early 1990s, when Africa was confronted with
numerous crises seeking for urgent solution. Although I was
not a specialist in African Philosophy, an attractive area to
most of my contemporaries at this period, to continue 1,-tO
research in abstract Western epistemology was to be playing
the fiddle like Nero while Rome was burning. It was this
situation that necessitated the readapting of my research
interest to what can be called, for lack of a better term,
"Cultural Epistemology". This contrived area of research
focuses on the relationship between the state of culture and
knowledge production in the human society. The entire
product and conclusion of my research in this respect is that
human crises in their multidimensional perspective need to be
painstakingly and critically reflected upon before a lasting
solution can be attained (Owolabi 1996a). To disregard the
philosophical approach to the crisis because of the depth and
rigour of its method is to be impatient and hasty in the quest
for the solution to the crisis. Ignoring this long but enduring
route of resolving social problems through the adoption of the
philosophical perspective is perilous. It is now obvious that
this conclusion of my research is the theme of this present
lecture. As a starting point, we need to discuss the issue of the
misunderstanding of the philosophical discipline that always
results in its being disregarded as a tool for dealing with
human crises.
7
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
Who do People say the Son of Man is?
... he asked his disciples saying, Whom, do men say that I
the Son of man am? And they said, Some say that thou art
John the Baptist: some say, Elias; and others, Jeremias,
or one of the prophets (Matthew 16:13-14).
Misinterpretation and misconception of the philosophical
discipline and its goals have been a perennial problem of the
discipline. Many philosophers in history have been mis-
understood and their mission misrepresented. The question
posed as the sub-title of this section is raised in response to
the general misunderstanding of the nature and mission of
philosophers, myself included, and the first philosopher, the
son of the living God. Many philosophers have been accused
unjustly of being what they never claim to be or doing what
they do not claim. The father of philosophy, Socrates, whose
main object was to initiate a moral revolution and sanitize the
debased Athenian society, was accused of the exact opposite
of his mission. He was indeed condemned to death for
corrupting the youths. In so many ways, the enterprise of
philosophy is misunderstood, and, deliberately, given a bad
name in order to hang it. It seems, indeed as if, historically
speaking, most societies have had reasons to treat the
philosophical discipline with disdain if not outright hostility
because of a misconception borne out of ignorance or
deliberate mischief.
It has been argued by some that the misrepresentation of
philosophy is due to the fact that the discipline lacks focus
and that many of its practitioners confess their inability to
define the subject. Cornelius Kruse, an eminent philosopher,
accepts this fact and says: "There is hardly any other learned
profession which is so easily and persuasively embarrassed
when asked to define the nature of its occupation" (Kruse
1949). It is indeed true to say that philosophers are cautious in
defining their subject. But the problem surrounding the
definition of philosophy is not something that it should be
ashamed of because the self-critical nature of philosophy is so
pervasive as to include the issue of the definition of its object.
8
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
It is of course not true that philosophers cannot define their
subject and object; the real truth is that the critical and
argumentative nature of the discipline has made its focus and
essence controversial. Owing to this persistent polemic,
philosophy has not been able to accumulate the dividends of
its many centuries of labour. Thus, while other areas of
knowledge with relatively short history can boast of their
achievements, philosophy is unable to do so. As has been
cogently observed: "There is no general agreed body of
philosophical knowledge-although there are libraries full of
philosophical writings from antiquity to the present day,
which are in constant use" (Hacker 2010: 2).
There is no doubt that because philosophy enjoys and
thrives on polemics, it has been difficult for its practitioners
to consolidate its many centuries of work. It is indeed a fact .
that "Philosophy is notable for the extent to which disagree-
ment persists among its most able practitioners, despite the
fact that the arguments though relevant to the disputed
questions are typically well-known to all parties" (Kelly
2006: 173). It is in the nature of the philosophical discipline
to reassess issues and engage in critical debate over issues
that laymen take for. granted. Philosophy's constant self-
examination is neither on account of guilty conscience nor is
it a product of the indolence of its practitioners. It is a natural
and intrinsic feature of the discipline borne out of a "kind of
self- critique that it behoves philosophy itself to undertake".
, Throughout history and in all societies, philosophy has
always been regarded as an unwanted luxury and an
unnecessary obscurantism. It is erroneously regarded as an
enterprise that is remotely, if at all connected to the reality of
the crisis of human existence that every society must perforce
react to. Critics thus constantly insist that "primum vivere,
deinde philosophare" (life first before philosophy). It is,
therefore paradoxical, that the real vision and essence of the
philosophical enterprise, its raison d' etre, is consistently
presented as the reason why philosophy should be dis-
regarded. As the great British philosopher, Bertrand Russell,
has argued:
9
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
Many men, under the influence of science or of
practical affairs, are inclined to doubt whether
philosophy is anything better than innocent but
useless trifling, hair-splitting distinctions, and
controversies on matters concerning which know-
ledge is impossible. This view of philosophy
appears to result partly from a wrong conception
of the ends of life, partly from a wrong con-
ception of the kind of goods which philosophy
strives to achieve (Russell 1983: 97).
The desire of the philosophical venture to produce ideas
that will foster positive transformation of the society and the
cold reception given it by the society has been something of a
tragic irony for the subject of philosophy. The philosophical
discipline that strives to attain rational justification of all
accepted ideas is considered an irrational or a nonsensical
venture. As a writer says: "There is nothing so absurd ... but
that it may be found in the books of the philosophers.
Doubtless some philosophers have had all sorts of wisdom
except common sense" (Garodia 2011). Indeed, a former
doctoral student of mine has expressed this disdain for the
philosophical discipline poignantly enough when he observed
that philosophy, as an area of academic study or inquiry,
seldom attracts any significant interest [these days] from
students and governments in third-world countries, for the
singular reason that philosophy does not "bake bread neither
does it build bridges" (Igbafen 2006: 14).
It is clear that philosophy's unpopularity is due to the
erroneous belief that it is mere abstraction that has no
relevance to material transformation. But can material
improvement be achieved without a deep reflection and
critical analysis of the idea that is going to be translated into
material facts? It is true that philosophy does not bake bread
nor build bridges, but behind the processes of bread baking
and bridge making is the mind of a thinker who conceived the
very act of bread production and bridge making, though the
connection between the two may be so remote as not to be
10
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
easily discernible. The reality is that, with or without this
connection, philosophy as a reflective enterprise still has its
value that cannot just be dispensed with. This is because as
Maritain has trenchantly observed:
...men do not live only by bread, vitamins and
technological discoveries. They live by values
and realities which for their own sake; they feed
on that invisible food which sustains the life of
the spirit and which makes them aware not of
such or such means at the service of their life but
of the very reason for living and suffering
(Maritain 1961:6-7).
Human civilization, we like to insist, is not essentially and
purely just about material production. It occurs when the
mind of an individual member of a civilized society is well-
cultivated and refined. This is what makes the difference
between an uncultured people and a cultivated person. This
point has been made brilliantly by Martin Luther King that
"the prosperity of a nation depends not on the strength of its
fortifications, not in the beauty of its public buildings; but it
consists on the number of [its] cultivated citizens, its men of
character and enlightenment" (Quoted by Madu 1998:5).
Perhaps the major reason why philosophy is always
misinterpreted is because of the internal crisis that always
prevails in the house of philosophy, and the contention of
some known philosophers about the limited and, in fact,
trivial functions allotted to philosophy as a discipline. We
know as a fact that owing to Wittgenstein's position that the
sole mission of philosophy is no more than to clarify our
language, Anglo-American philosophy seduced by the
Wittgensteinian postulate, relegated the whole purpose of
philosophy to the mere trivial exercise of discovering how
philosophical problems are created through the misuse of
language. It is this same thinking that has influenced some
philosophers to argue that philosophy lacks the potency
attributed to it by many of its practitioners and consequently
that philosophy "should close shop" and see its mission as
11
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
simply part of the conversation of mankind. It is an offshoot
of this kind of philosophical tendency that informed the
argument of our own Professor Bodanrin in a very centro-
versial paper (Boduntin 1990) where he maintained that
philosophy has no role to play in the project of employing
ideas to meet the challenge of social transforsaation.
The position of the analytic philosophess aboat the limited
and indeed trivial role for philosophy is always taken out of
context and employed by the enemies of philosophy to justify ~
the argument that philosophy is irrelevant and uninterested in
social problems. The truth of the matter is that the analytic
tendency is just a position in philosophy. It is indeed a
position opposed by many in the philosophical community. In
fact, it is a tendency that is no longer popular among the
community of philosophers all over the world today. We must
remember that in the same community of philosophers, there
are phenomenologists and there are existentialists. These are
philosophers who affirm a strong connection between philo-
sophy and human experience and became very influential in
their advocacy of using philosophy to' confront human
challenges. While it may be true that in the Anglo-American
tradition of analytic philosophy, the subject philosophy
became unpopular and irrelevant to social events, but in the
Continental Europe, the influence of philosophy in directing
the lives of the people can easily be felt, and is regarded as
relevant not only as a respectable academic pursuit but also,
more generally, in the social life of this community.
But the misconception of philosophy is not only because
of its abstraction and tendency towards obscurantism.
Philosophy is often misunderstood because it is always
confused with all other kinds of ideas. This may be due to its
wide scope and focus. In some cases, it is regarded as a kind
of theology or rather mysticism. In some other cases and
ironically, it has been seen as an atheistic enterprise devoted
to the evil objective of debunking the idea of an omnipotent
being. This is an idea that is quite prevalent in this country,
forgetting that in the garden of philosophy all flowers are
allowed to blossom. Just as we have those considered to be
~-,'-
12
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
atheists like Nietzsche, Camus etc, so do we have the theists
like Aquinas, Augustine, Kierkegaard and others. Those
people who have denounced philosophy as mere atheism
always find it easy to forget that for many centuries of the
medieval age, philosophy was directed towards the single
goal of establishing the dominance of God as an idea.
All these misconceptions and misinterpretations of
philosophy and its essence have seeped into the Nigerian
society where there appears to be considerable apprehension
about it. This is probably the reason why philosophy is not
very popular in the Nigerian society. While, for instance
University of Legon, in Ghana, established at the same time
as our University of Ibadan commenced its academic
programme in 1948 with a Department of Philosophy, Ibadan
waited till 1974 before establishing a-philosophy department.
Even the so-called second generation universities-
universities of Nigeria, Nsukka, Lagos and Ife-which
decided to introduce the subject in their academic programme
had problems with the policy makers and people in authority
must have regarded the subject as an avenue for breeding
insurgents and radicals. Up till today, philosophy is still
unpopular among parents and students, and a lot of effort has
to be made by the various departments to convince students
and their parents that the course is not a breeding place for
unrepentant atheists, idealists and fire-eating Marxists. It is
hard convincing students of the real nature of philosophy.
They always find it difficult to understand that philosophy
will only open them to many ideas and equip them with the
critical mind to decide which of the ideas to subscribe to. In
most cases, a student thoroughly bred in philosophy and
armed with such a critical and analytical mind as the
discipline seeks to inculcate will treat all these ideas with an
open mind. While he/she may subscribe to a particular
position, a well-bred student of philosophy will hardly ever
be fanatical. However, in spite of this, philosophy graduates
are still not given favourable consideration by employers who
feel threatened that such graduates may be inadequate and
worse still, become "agitators and union leaders once
13
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
employed. The study of philosophy in contemporary Nigeria
is thus often regarded as a waste of time and resources, a
jeopardy, as a former Head of State called it.
All these deliberate and quite often uninformed mis-
conceptions of philosophy need to be done away with before
the discipline can be allowed to realize its full potentials. This
is, in fact, the reason why, even in this present discourse, we
consider it eminently useful to discuss the nature and essence
of the philosophical discipline in order to debunk the many
misapprehensions about it.
Light Shineth in Darkness, and the Darkness
Comprehended it Not
In him was life and the life was the light of men. And the
light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended
it not (John 1:4-5).
The subtitle of this section, committed to the presentation of
the real nature of philosophy is metaphorical. Philosophy is
considered as a shining light which darkness finds difficult to
comprehend. This metaphor is factually and historically apt
for, if we consider that knowledge is light, then, philosophy,
which is the tool for describing the totality of human know-
ledge, is surely a kind of illumination. But this illumination
has been elusive to the darkness of ignorance that has peren-
nially distorted the image of the enterprise of philosophy. Our
task in this section is therefore to remove the shroud, that
covers the light in order to make the illuminating essence of
philosophy apparent. "
Etymologically, "philosophy" is from two Greek word~,;,
"philo" and "sophia", literally, "love ofwisdom". P~h,~gqr~§; , •
the ancient Greek thinker, employed this term to describethe -;
group of people who are committed to .r.eflective anddis- 0
cursive practices, geared toward the generation of knowl~4g~
for the advancement of the human society. This culture 9f
reflection that commenced form~IJy in ancient Greek society
is the progenitor of the entire body of Western knowledge in
its various manifestations today. Philosophy "is the name con-:
ceived in ancient times for the totality of human knowledg
" ' ," c , •••: \r~'~:
::;"'.
14 "
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
produced through the first epistemological method of critical
reflection. As human knowledge increased and improved,
new issues and themes were emphasized, new methodologies
Introduced. resulting in the disciplinary diversities that we
have today. Isaiah Berlin explains how the philosophical
discipline generates other branches of knowledge in this
manner:
To use a simile that I cannot claim to have
invented, philosophy is like a radiant sun that,
from time to time, throw off portions of itself;
these masses when they cool down, acquire a firm
and recognizable structure of their own and
acquire independent careers as tidy and regular
planets; but the central sun continues on its path
and does not seem to diminish in mass or
radiance. The 'status' and vitality of philosophy
is another matter, and seems to be directly
connected with the extent to which it deals with
issues that are of concern to common man (Berlin
1998: 2).
Isaiah Berlin in this extended metaphor has told the story
of the philosophical discipline as a mother that sheds off its
part to benefit its descendants. The seeming poverty of philo-
sophy occurs because it does not appear willing either to
consolidate its successes or to count its blessings, but
sacrifices much for the glory of its offspring. Philosophy
started as the encompassing mother of all disciplines. It is
borne out of the anxiety to know and understand the universe
and all its components, particularly humans, who are the most
important occupant of the universe. But as the enterprise grew
and progressed, new branches of knowledge were born, and
new discipline created. The new areas of knowledge dis-
engaged from philosophy, emphasizing their own restricted
subject matters and fashioning out their own peculiar
methods. This is the way science emerged by first detaching
itself from philosophy, and then focusing on nature in its
15
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
multi-dimensional essence as its subject matter. This com-
menced in the modem age when Bacon discovered the
inductive method of experimentation and the total severance
of the scientific enterprise was finally completed in the
nineteenth century, when the empirical methodology was
perfected.
Philosophy is, therefore, said to have mothered all
academic disciplines with its persistent employment of the
rational faculty. But the disciplinary distinctions which
became clearly manifested in the modem age occurred
because of (i) the differences in the nature and genesis of the
problems addressed by each discipline (ii) the applicable and
acceptable method of addressing those problems (iii) the
results that are hoped for and the means and method of
evaluating the suggested solution by this discipline (Bodunrin
1981b:13). But with these differences in method and
approach, each of the intellectual disciplines began to assert
their independence from philosophy. With this autonomy of
each of the discipline, philosophy is the loser because all the
work done on this discipline before the resultant affirmation
and establishment of the various autonomous disciplines do
not revert to the mother discipline, but claimed by the new
discipline generating a further impoverishment of the disci-
pline. Thus, when a philosopher like P.M.S. Hacker laments
that "how can the poverty of philosophy be explained?"
(Hacker 2010: 3) and Bertrand Russell concedes that,
"Philosophy from the earliest times, has made greater claims
and achieved fewer results than other branches of learning"
(Russell 1967:90), both of them were seeking for an
explanation for the impoverishment of the philosophical
discipline. The reason for this tragedy of philosophy has been
explained in this manner by Nikolai Iribadjakov:
In a sense there seems to be something tragic in
the fate of philosophy. In antiquity it incorporated
the entire corpus of scientific know ledge and as
late as the nineteenth century "philosophy" was
the only term to denote scientific activities and
16
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
cognition. However as they became independent
subjects the special sciences encroached on the
problem areas that once had been the property of
their mother, philosophy, in which they flouri-
shed and to which much of their former fame and
significance was due (Iribadjakov 1976: 181).
The story of philosophy is thus that of an overcaring
mother who slaves hard to nurture her children but who,
rather than gain from her exertions, concedes everything to
her children. It is true, that today, after mothering many areas
of knowledge a narrow area is left for philosophy to contend
with. What then, is left in the repository of knowledge for
philosophy to engage with? What is the object and focus of
philosophy as an academic discipline today? We can confi-
dently affirm that the reflective nature of philosophy remains
with the discipline today. As late A.S. Staniland of our
Department once defined the mission of philosophy, it is
according to her, essentially the criticism of ideas that are
fundamental to human essence and existence (Staniland
1978:3). In this respect, Oguejiofor gives a rough description
of what engages the mind of today' s academic philosopher:
... Philosophy is concerned with the ultimate
foundation of reality; highest and most general
judgment of human actions, the raison d'etre of
political systems, the value and reliability of
human knowledge, the most basic foundations of
human cultures, religions and social ethos as well
as with the exposition of our most unconscious
presumptions or prejudices. In that vein, philo-
sophy represents the effort of the human reason to
provide the last answer to the inquiring mind in
its apparently elusive effort to find an explanatory
anchor that imparts meaning to life, explaining its
origin, giving direction to its ,activities and
providing goals for its quest (Oguejiofor 1998:
xvii).
17
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
It is clear then that the task of philosophy is to engage in
rational and critical reflection on the goals, essence and
values of human existence and activities. It is established that
the philosophical discipline is an abstract but rational engage-
ment with the human challenges. It is an exploration and
evaluation of the human condition in society. It represents
society's most general and most fundamental theoretical self
consciousness.
Two concepts are cardinal to the task of explaining the
subject matter of philosophy as an academic subject in the
contemporary world. They are the idea of "rationality" and
the idea of "value". In a sense, we can say that while
"rationality" defines the means through which philosophical
goals are realized, "values" are the goals that the philosophi-
cal enterprise strives to attain. The centrality of these two
concepts to the enterprise of academic philosophy is
explained in this manner:
The special difficulty of philosophy, as we have
seen, derives in large part from the fact that it is
preoccupied with values and value judgments. It
has been argued recently with much penetration
and persuasiveness, that philosophy's distinctive
subject matter is the criticism of appraisals.
Whatever attitude one may take toward the
attempt to make values and their appraisal the
exclusive field of philosophy, it is no doubt
generally admitted that philosophy's task is to
find a rational ground and validation for the total
range of man's interests, needs and aspirations in
which values admittedly play a central and
determining part (Kruse 1949: 517).
We concede that what we teach our students in the
various departments of philosophy in the world today is
narrower than what our predecessors did as' classical
philosophers. For one thing, it is a fact that the empirical
aspect of philosophy has been handed over to the scientists.
What remains for philosophy is the critical and rational
analysis and appraisal of human challenges in their multi-
18
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
farious dimensions in order to attain certain eternal values or
truth. It can, therefore, be argued that the philosophical task is
that of deciding which goals and values are worthy to pursue
and what ends are important. This is the spirit behind the
commendation given to the philosophical mind by President
John F. Kennedy, in his observation that, "The men who
create power make an indispensable contribution to the
nation's greatness, but the men who question power make a
contribution just as indispensable, especially when that
questioning is disinterested, for they determine whether we
use power or power uses us" (Quoted by Garlikov 2011: 1).
Today's philosophers are the custodians of human values,
the ones who are trained to acquire the critical and analytical
tools for confronting and appraising all issues of standards
and values. Philosophy, it has been said, "elevates and
illuminates life". Philosophy is the beacon light for all other
disciplines and all other human activities. The importance and
relevance of philosophy is now becoming apparent. Without
the illuminating light of philosophy, all other human endea-
vours can be futile. This is why Saad Malook argued validly
as follows:
Without philosophy, a scientist cannot be good,
ruler cannot be a good ruler, teacher cannot be a
good teacher and even a man cannot be a good
man. It rejuvenates life and makes it worth living.
The end of philosophy is to discover certainty and
objectivity and deliver man's mind from preju-
dices, conformity, narrow-mindedness and all
frivolities in the affairs of daily life. Philosophy
loves life and life loves philosophy (Malook
2008: 67).
The philosophical enterprise is the light that illuminates our
path in our unending quest for the right way of performing
our human activities. Philosophy is the directing force
guiding our march to higher civilization. All the talk about
the irrelevance of philosophy is due mainly to the fact that the
therapy of the philosophical act is of the mind. Just as one
19
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
cannot hold the light but rather feels it and gets directed by it
so is philosophy intangible, but important in guiding all our
activities.
Why, then, is philosophy criticized for its "irrelevance"
and "lack of utilitarian value" despite all its functions that we
have discussed? Why blame philosophy for not producing
bread and building bridges? The reason is not far to seek; it is
simply due to a misconception of its nature. According to
Pieper, "Those who try to eliminate the substantial
incommensurability between philosophy and the world of
production only render the philosophical endeavour
inauthentic, if not impossible, since the nature and dignity of
this endeavour rests on its being not only outside the world of
production, but transcendent to it, leading a way beyond its
outlines" (Pieper 1992:29-30). Consequently, any attempt to
make philosophy a productive venture "leads to a distortion
of the very nature of philosophy." The truth in fact, is that
philosophy does possess its practical applications. On the
practical side, "the greatness of mind generates tolerance,
justice and understanding the growth of which lies the chief
hope of the world" (Joad 1976). This ability to produce and
sustain higher values for the human society is a testimony to
the viability and relevance of philosophy in dealing with the
challenges and vicissitudes of the contemporary world and
the human condition in general.
To sum up this section, we can assert that philosophy, the
"candle of the Lord" as John Locke dubs it, still has the
practical value of inculcating the critical attitude that allows
us to open our mind to discover those things that are
necessary for human advancement. Philosophical knowledge
includes the critical appraisal of all our values, norms and
ethos. It is interested in the appraisal of our knowledge and
the proper way of justifying and disseminating it. Philosophy
is preoccupied with the way we manage our social affairs as
humans-how we determine and choose our leaders, the
process of decision-making in our polities, how our natural
rights and inclinations as humans are preserved and protected.
Philosophy also investigates and analyses human conduct and
20
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
behaviour in order to ensure that in all these the value of
goodness is preserved. In a nutshell, in employing the critical
and analytical tool, philosophy strives to realize the highest
good for the human race, the good life in its different
manifestations. In all that it does, philosophy's belief is that
through the employment of the rational faculty, the ideals that
should guide all human activities are attainable.
Come let us Reason together
Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord;
though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as
snow, though they be red like crimson they shall be as
wool (Isaiah 1:18).
We are choosing Aristotle, the ancient Greek thinker and
acclaimed father of science, to serve as our inspiration in
establishing the foundational role of philosophy as the basis
of the rational activities of all intellectual practices. Aristotle
presented philosophy as the highest effort at partaking of the
rational practice that defines man as unique and different
from all other species. He went further to maintain that this
rational capacity is one that humans share with the creator.
O'Hear in a recent book makes the following observation
about philosophy which is very germane to our point here;
According to Aristotle, the highest activity of
which human beings are capable is philosophical
contemplation. In this we fulfill our nature as
rational beings. Reason is our highest and most
distinctive capacity, and in philosophy we engage
in reasoning in its purest form. We contemplate
the truths of eternity and the divine intelligence
which directs all things, and to which all things
ultimately tend (O'Hear 2001:371).
The point being made by Aristotle is that philosophy is the
use of reason for the discovery of eternal truths and values.
This faculty of reason of the human person leads to the
generation of values that are needed for the realization of the
21
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
highest good for the benefit of all humans. In using his/her
rational faculty, the human person can realize himself/herself
not as a purely material being but also as a spiritual person
capable of partaking in the communion between the divine
and the human. This interaction of the divine and the human
intelligence has been aptly captured in the biblical statement:
"Come, let us reason together", our subtitle for this section.
This statement from the book of Isaiah may appear a
superimposition of the Christian doctrine on all humans, but it
has been adopted here to demonstrate that in most theistic
religions, the presumption is that 'there is a rational interaction
between the omnipotent creator and the created being. Most
importantly, the biblical allusion demonstrates not only the
rationality of the divine, but also the fact of the communion
between the divine and the human intelligence. This commu-
nion, more than anything, confirms the democratic nature of
the divine being, which in a way, is a model for the necessity
of democratic relations among humans in their social and
political organizations. The allusion is thus underlining the
fact that, essentially, our rational faculty is an important tool
for confronting most of the challenges that we face as
humans.
There is no doubt that behind the tribute we pay to
modernity today, in respect of the comfort, freedom, secu-
larity and the cluster of democratic values that are present
everywhere we turn, lies the idea of rationality. Modernity I
like to insist is produced by the philosophical mind and the
affirmation of the rational individual. The Cartesian, "cogito
ergo sum" (I think therefore I am), is the climax of the
philosophical dream set in motion by the Socratic injunction:
"know thyself'. It is the culmination of many years of human
cogitation on the divine injunction: "come let us reason
together". This has produced a community of academics
recently called the philosophers, who initiated the positive
revolutionary events of the French confrontation and
overthrow of the despotic monarchy, the American trans-
formation of the Hellenic democracy into an idea adaptable to
a nation of multiple cultures, the industrial revolution
22
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
initiated in England and the Marxist-Leninist revolution of
the former Soviet Union. All are products of the dialectical
movement of the rational engagement of the human spirit in
the imitation of the divine rationality. The denial of this
evolutionary process is illogical and fraudulent. My research
has been committed, in a nutshell, to the affirmation of this
fact that rationality is the royal road to human advancement.
In my career as a researcher in philosophy, I have
demonstrated that the challenges facing humanity can only be
resolved through the employment of our rational faculty. I
have argued persistently that the philosophical discipline
cannot be ignored or relegated in this effort. I have main-
tained that if we do away with the misconception of the
philosophical enterprise and regard it for what it is-as the
beacon and the vanguard in the human project of using
knowledge for transformation and resolution of the human
crisis-then the multifarious human problems will be brought
under control. But if we refuse and continue to avoid the
philosophical perspective in the resolution of our problems,
then humanity is heading for perilous times. The implication
of this in relation to social and political philosophy is that the
rational nature of man clearly demands that only democracy
should be the mode of governance that will favour the
realization of the good life for all humans.
I commenced my research career, taking as point of
departure, the concluding part of my doctoral thesis where I
have argued that phenomenological bracketing, which is an
epistemological tool for reserving our judgment on epistemic
issues until we are able to have the full and total data, can be
employed as an idea for dealing with the problems of
prejudice and intolerance and failure or absence of democracy
in multi-ethnic plural societies (Owolabi 1989). I followed up
this research trend, after some early offerings in pure
epistemology (Owolabi 1992, 1993-1994, 1995a, and 2004)
with most of my effort committed to the project of using
philosophical tools to address social problems. In this respect,
such problems as intolerance, social and group conflicts,
23
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
environmental cnSIS, public immorality and endemic
corruption, failure or absence of de ra y and oth r social
malaise we e add essed (Owola -i: 1993a, 1995b, J 996a,
1996b, 1996c, 1999b, 1999c, 2000a, 2000b, 2003b).
My research in the area of employing philosophical
Knowledge to resolve social challenges is in two interrelated
forms. One group of essays is devoted to the discourse of
African crisis, and the other is committed to solving universal
human problems, especially as these relate to the predicament
esulting f om uncontrolled scientific feats generating
iron tental crises and acting as a threat to social order and
peacef 1 co-e iste e ( wolabi 1995c, Gbadegesin IUJd
D -olabi 2004). Let me first give a synop i of my resear r
outputs on how to use philosophical tools for re olving
"peculiarly African problems" efore going to review my
res arch and publications on the issue of the relevance of
critical reflection in addres ing the lopsided development
prevalent in the global society due to misma agement of the
developmental project.
The last three decades of African history have been one of
an overwhelming crisis of development. This crisis has been
described as the inability of the ideas and inventions devised
or adopted by the African society for its daily survival to
realize the good life for the society and its people (Owolabi
1996a). The overwhelming nature of the crisis facing the
J fric "1 people during this period, which also persists till
today, has necessitated the coinage of the term, "Afro-
pessimism", which is the feeling that Africa is perpetually
and eternally destined for underdevelopment, misery and all
that are negative. Africa is, therefore, described as "the basket
case of the world". It is seen as a place where nothing good
happens. Africa is represented as a society that is intrinsically
and naturally destined for servitude and poverty in compari-
son to other continents of the world. The multidimensional
crisis that reached its apogee in the eighties manifests as state·
illegitimacy, economic depression and social upheavals
leading to a breakdown of la and order that generated a
24
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
situation of "failed states"-the inability of certain African
nation-states to perform their traditional functions (Owolabi
1996c, 2oo0a). This culminated in the outbreak of civil wars
and extermination of a significant number of certain groups.
This mass killing has been regarded as genocide or ethnocide
as the new word coined precisely for this situation describes
it. We have seen this kind of human tragedies in nations like
Liberia, Rwanda, Sierra-Leone, and especially Somalia
(Owolabi 2000a, 2003b).
In many of my writings, I have challenged the position
that the crisis situation is natural and intrinsic to the African
so iet . I have maintained that Africa can be out of the wood
if the society adop s the critical attitude and do away with the
anacr .onistic ideas and the erroneous but preponderant
feeling that the society in all things ought to be different from
the West. These two recommendations-an adoption of the
critical. and philosophical attitude in all our. ctivities in
frica and also changing the erroneous belief that Africa
must be different and parallel to the West-need to be exami-
ned in detail here because they constitute the kernel of my
contribution to philosophical knowledge that is, both as an
individual researcher and as a member of a community of
philosophy scholars that I have called the "Ibadan School of
Philosoph y".
"Ibadan School of Philosophy" is a term that I coined in a
recent paper yet to be published. In this work I try to compare
the contribution of what I call the "Lagos School of
Phil s phy" with the position of the "lbadan School of
"thi,Qwrhy" to the debate on the nature and direction of
A -rkan philosophy. In that essay, I maintain that after over
fou decades of the discussion of African philosophy, certain
trends are beginning to emerge, and also that while the
r·,. )'onderance of scholars from the University of Lagos tend
to argue that Africa's quest for development should con-
centrate on the retrospective project of retracing our steps and
discovering at what point in the past the African society took
the wrong turn in the project of development, majority of the
scholars from the University of Ibadan are convinced that the
25
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
resolution of the crisis of development depends on how we
can be prompt and effective in adopting the values and ethos
of philosophy, such as rationality, modernity and democracy,
for our contemporary societal needs. Thus, while the mem-
bers of the "Lagos School of Philosophy" are. traditionalists,
members of the "Ibadan School" are modernists, according to
the categorization of late Professor Olusegun Oladipo
(Oladipo 1992 and Owolabi 1993b).
Without necessarily passing judgmenr'on which of the
positions is right, one is merely reporting here that though I
had all my formal training in philosophy at the University of
Lagos, in my work, I subscribe more to the position of the
"Ibadan School of Philosophy". The position of the "Ibadan
School of Philosophy" has been developed by late Professor
Bodunrin, the founding Head of Department of Philosophy 'at
Ibadan (Bodunrin 1981a,1985a), Professor Kwasi Wiredu, the
eminent Ghanaian philosopher who was at one time a
member of our Department here in Ibadan (Wiredu 1980) and
also the late Professor Olusegun Oladipo (Oladipo 1989,
1992). This position has subsequently been reinforced by the
arguments from most of the other members of the Department
of Philosophy at Ibadan, including this present inaugural
lecturer (Owolabi 1993a, 1993b, 1996b, 1999b, 2001a,
2001 b, 2003a).
The argument of the Ibadan school is basically that
African Philosophy should be developed not by venerating
the culture of the traditional African society-for our
historical experiences such as enslavement, colonialism and
post-colonial crisis have demonstrated the inglorious nature
of our past. Neither should we continue to blame foreign
invaders for our predicament, or avoid their culture out of
resentment for their past misdeeds. Rather, as for example,
Wiredu maintains, the resolution of the African crisis
demands that we should subject our traditional culture to
critical analysis. We should, he argues, "interpret, clarify,
analyse and, where appropriate, and after a critical evaluation,
assimilate and develop the resulting body of thought"
(Wiredu 1980: 1). It is this scholar's firm conviction that the
26
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
development of Africa can only be realized if we deliberately
jettison certain features of our traditional culture which are
detrimental to the development of our society. Features,
according to him, like anachronism, authoritarianism and
supernaturalism are really attitudes that will prevent the
"culture of enquiry" or a "culture of philosophy" that we need
for the transformation of the society and the realization of a
good life for the African people today.
Olusegun Oladipo in an essay, "Knowledge and the
African Renaissance", has argued forcibly that we need to
adopt the "culture of inquiry" in order to put Africa on the
path of recovery. In presenting his claim, Oladipo drew a
distinction between the "culture of belief' which the African
society presently subscribes to, and the "culture of enquiry"
that we need to imbibe (Oladipo 1999:7). According to him:
... the culture of inquiry involves systematic
investigations of phenomena-natural or social-
with a view to enhancing our understanding of
their nature. These investigations demand not
only systematic observation of things and
processes in nature and society, they also involve
the use of reason to conceive of possible expla-
nations to what we observe. Thus the culture of
inquiry is usually propelled by the pursuit of
meaning. It "involves seeking and purposeful
effort" aimed at creating a better world (1999:7).
Oladipo's argument here is that the reason behind our current
predicament in Africa is that we subscribe to a "culture of
belief' rather than a "culture of inquiry". It is the adoption of
this "culture of belief' as a public culture that has made us
incapable of realizing our promise as a people. The "culture
of belief" according to him, is the antithesis of the "culture of
inquiry". This "culture of belief' encourages passivity and
subservience to the conventional view. It accepts all beliefs as
dogmas not to be questioned. In this mode of operation
27
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
"supernatural explanations are accepted and operated with.
All inherited and received ideas are taken for granted, and
ideas, even social practices, are received from other cultures
without considering their adequacy for a given human
situation, or thrown into new combinations to suit prevailing
circumstances" (Oladipo1999:9). The argument, therefore, is
that the cause of our failure to achieve development in Africa
is our lack of initiative and dogmatic subscription to ideas
that are not well-adapted to our peculiar situation, as a unique
and peculiar society. This attitude is noticeable in politics,
religion,. economics, science and so forth, where we often
display a fatalistic attitude to occurrences and situations
(Oladipo 1999:9).
The preponderance of the research that I have carried out
in relation to the challenge of using philosophical tools to
resolve social crisis has followed this modernist position
propagated by the "Ibadan School of Philosophy". I have in
fact argued that the adoption of modem values for the
realization of the good life is not an option but rather a
necessity that we must respond to as responsible scholars,
particularly in a situation where our immediate society is
already eager and anxious for this new way of life (Owolabi
1995b, 1996b and 2001c). In this regard, for example, I
heartily subscribe to the position of an African novelist-
philosopher whose essential motif is how to ensure the
smooth transition of the Yoruba people to the new culture of
modernity. I refer here to Daniel Fagunwa, the legendary
Yoruba author of blessed memory, who has maintained that
the rational nature of humans, which is universal to all
cultures, has been well-developed by the Western culture and,
therefore, all the non-Western societies should make a
metaphorical effort to attain this "Mount of Thought"
(Owolabi 2001a).
But even with this modernist position, I still remain
circumspect, in my stance, warning that there are certain
aspects of the traditional and indigenous values that we need
to retrieve and adapt for meeting our contemporary
challenges. For- this project, I proceeded to suggest certain
28
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
methodological tools to facilitate the retrieval of i C:ige,ous
ethos (Owolabi 200Ib). Similarly, I have warned in some of
my writings about the tendency in our bid to acquire
modernist ethos, to become involved in a kind of dependency
relationship with the Western world (Owolabi 1996b, 200Ic).
I particularly entertained certain fears about the current
process of globalization in the world today regarding which I
have argued that we must be critical and selectr, ..·· in the
adoption of these new values promoted by the globel
integration in order to avoid a situation that could lead us ...
Africa into a relationship of outright dependency, if ~10
enslavement (Owolabi 200Ic).
The series of my research writings on the universal
problem facing the global society has been essentially on the
challenges of science and technology in relation to the prob-
lem of environmental sustenance. In this cluster of essays, my
argument has been that scientific culture and the outright
neglect of the philosophical wisdom to manage the outcome
is the reason for the environmental crisis that we are
witnessing in the world today. I have argued that various
successes of the scientific and technological revolution have
been so exciting that the philosophical wisdom necessary for
the management of the tension that the scientific values will
create in competition with other contending values is ignored
(Owolabi 1996c~ Gbadegesin and Owolabi 2004, Owolabi
and Olu-Owolabi 2009).
Why is there crisis and melancholy of unprecedented
dimension in the global society today? Why do we have
intermittent wars, conflicts and terrorist activit! .s in the world
despite the comforts that the scientific inventions have given
to us? It is true that the sciences have done well for mankind,
and for this reason, the humanities and in particular. the
philosophical discipline is always avoided as unnecessary
diversions. But despite the unprecedented innovations of
science, despite the very stunning capabilities that the scienti-
fic venture has provided for us, war still persists, or rather, is,
indeed, on the increase because of the availability of
sophisticated weapons of mass destruction made possible by
29
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
science and technology. Human beings are still not happy,
and the good life remains elusive. Today, there seems to be
some nostalgia for the good old days of limited science but
abundant happiness. It is thus true that "some questions can
indeed be answered in the laboratory, while others cannot.
One cannot measure happiness in the laboratory" (Schofield
1972:31). This situation described above and the imperative
of the philosophical dimension has been well-explained by
Garodia in this manner:
We face today an unprecedented set of problems
relating to environment, the coming One World
Order and the ongoing process of spiritual
decline. We stand at the Abyss, at the steadily
approaching threshold of unimaginable chaos,
calamity, death and destruction. But there exists a
lasting solution to these issues facing humankind.
It derives from the notion of power of ideas and
an idea so powerful that its effect upon the World
will be most profound. And that one idea is to be
found only in the unexplored world of philosophy
(Garodia 2011:2).
The point we are making, Mr. Vice-Chancellor, is that in
our immediate Nigerian society, there is a clutch of crises
resulting from the neglect of the philosophical spirit owing to
the absence of the philosophical wisdom that should moderate
human relations in the society. Africa is a place where chaos
seems to reign supreme. In spite of all the global impact of
science and technology, we still witness continuing threats of
war, economic crises, environmental problems and social
unrest. The situation of the global society is that of deep
melancholy and want in the midst of plenty.
All these have been happening because of our neglect of
philosophy, the foundation of all human knowledge. And
where philosophy is not neglected outright, it is completely
relegated or deliberately misused so that it does not perform
its essential task as the directing influence in the use of reason
30
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
and the production of ideas. There is a deliberate disconnect
between philosophy and the sciences due to the various
innovations given to humanity by the scientific and technolo-
gical revolution. Banished is the democratic spirit of rational
communion between all ideas. The spirit of cooperation and
democracy, prevalent in the communion between the human
and the divine rationality that allows for an exchange of ideas
is similarly outlawed. The operating slogan is no longer
"come let us reason together". The situation now is that
science should lead and other disciplines should follow
meekly.
With the feats of science in the modem age, scientific
enterprise is allowed to have a field day and the philosophical
wisdom that ought to be the guiding and directing force is
therefore sent out of the arena of performance. It is like a dog
sent to provide certain services but brought by the police-
guardian, holding its chain and keeping it in check. But once
the dog becomes effective in the performance of its task, the
guardian is convinced to release the chain; find a place in the
audience to sit and grant the dog the leeway to perform. But
the dog is now on rampage and the guardian must be brought
in to bring the rampaging dog to order. This is the situation of
things today. Science is the performing dog; philosophy is the
guardian-police. There is the need to bring in the philoso-
phical enterprise with its attendant wisdom to temper the
excesses of the sciences.
I Go to Prepare a Place for You
In my Father's house there are many mansions: if it were
not so, I would not have told you. I go to prepare a place
for you (John 14:2).
Mr. Vice-Chancellor, our discourse is gradually drawing to a
close, but before we end, I would like to emphasize, at this
point, the main thesis of the lecture. This relates to the
fundamental role of philosophy as the progenitor of all
academic disciplines about which. much has been said
31
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
already. We like to state our position as forcibly as we can: it
is namely that a neglect of the philosophical discipline by any
society is a disregard of the philosophical root of the sciences
and the humanities; and such a neglect is tantamount to a
gradual but effective destruction of the potency of these many
disciplines to help the society realize the "good life". It is
because of this foundational role of philosophy that I have
selected the above biblical passage as the subtitle of this
section. Philosophy, normatively speaking, ought to be the
coordinator of the rational enterprise of knowledge produc-
tion. At a certain period in history, philosophy was given the
task of managing this exercise by the society. This was the
time when knowledge production got to its maximum, and the
society was in a state of order, of the most possible kind. But
more often, the philosophical enterprise is challenged and
relegated with the sciences taking the front seat and
philosophy being denied its coordinating role. At such a
moment, society gets into trouble, and knowledge production
witnesses a massive decline.
It is true that historically, philosophy is-tpe genesis of all
disciplines. Even though, as we have seen all along, this
primacy that it used to enjoy seems to ha~e waned consi-
derably for the reasons we have been at pains to highlight
earlier on. But it is also an historical fact that the way it is
practised today, this foundational role of philosophy is not
respected. It is more painful that events in recent times have
shown that philosophy is deliberately disconnected from
other disciplines. But even at this moment, with the popu-
larity of philosophy at its lowest ebb, the discipline of
philosophy still has, in its curriculum, the area devoted to the
dialogue between philosophy and the various disciplines. This
area has been called the "Philosophy of the Infrastructure of
Disciplines". This includes areas such as, Philosophy of Law,
Philosophy of Science, Philosophy of Social Sciences,
Philosophy of Technology, Philosophy of Mathematics,
Philosophy of Language, Philosophy of Economics and the
Philosophy of any other kind of emerging disciplines. For
32
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
example there is the new "Philosophy of Cybernetics", a new
area devoted to the discussion of the philosophical challenges
posed by the issues arising from the entire subject of
information technology.
The purpose of the "Philosophy of Infrastructure of
Disciplines" is to ensure that dialogues exist between philo-
sophy and other disciplines so that the practitioners of those
other disciplines remain faithful to the essence of the disci-
pline in its original conception. Let us take, for example, the
discipline of Law. Whatever the independence of those who
study and practise law, there is the need for them to know the
philosophical underpinning of the study of law, just as the
philosophical discipline should also be interested in whether
Law is still being undertaken according to the normative
ideals that generated the enterprise of Law, in the first
instance. Philosophy of Law will like to know, for instance,
whether or not Law is promoting equity and justice, whether
law is opposed to or is in alignment with universal moral
standards, and whether the practice of Law and the dispensa-
tion of justice are being effected with regard for the natural
inclinations and desire of all humans. In a nutshell, Philo-
sophy of Law refers to the general adjudicatory role played
on the discipline of Law by the philosophical discipline that is
supposed to be the custodian of the essential normative value
behind the rational engagement with the idea of Law.
In the same vein, Philosophy of Science is about the
dialogue between philosophy and scientific activities. It
involves the critical reflection and analysis of the practice of
science in order to ensure that certain normative standards of
the discipline are sustained. It involves the discussion of the
means and end of scientific ventures. It strives to know the
nature of the methodology employed by the sciences, the
focus and content of the enterprise, whether or not the
knowledge being produced is making humans the end or
merely a means to an end. It is important for any knowledge
production to avoid the temptation of practising its trade with
arrogance and self-importance, believing that it is more
33
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
important than the humanity that it ought to serve at all times.
Philosophy of Science, in a nutshell, is a critical analysis of
the entire practice of science, in order to ensure that the
activities remain humane, ethical, and the knowledge produ-
ced is appropriately designed and executed such that
objectivity is maintained at all times, and the knowledge is
accessible to all humans.
The point we are making here is that human knowledge in
its totality and in spite of the disciplinary divisions ought to
be synthesized through a constant dialogue for the purpose of
ensuring that the rational enterprise of the discipline is carried
out according to human values-especially moral norms-
discoverable by the philosophical enterprise, that should
constantly guide the practice of these disciplines. The essence
of this multidisciplinary engagement is to ensure that the
situation of the disciplines conforms to the normative values
of philosophy. It is for this reason that Philosophy is consi-
dered by Hacker as a "Tribunal of Reason before which
scientists and mathematicians may be arraigned for their
transgressions" (Hacker 2010: 9).
The philosophical discipline can in fact be likened to a
policeman in the knowledge production industry maintaining
discipline and order.Tn this age of disciplinary diversities, the
discipline of philosophy should moderate the activities of
those disciplines ensuring that they are not working at cross-
purposes. It is important that philosophy should be the coordi-
nator, the judicial officer, or rather, the law enforcement
officer maintaining law and order and ensuring that the
disciplines do not perform below human expectations. As a
Philosopher, Jung, says:
My personal view is one that conceives philo-
sophy as a medium of interdisciplinary research.
If ideal conditions are provided, philosophy will
work as an intellectual catalyst among the
academic disciplines, a mediator between the
humanities and the sciences. Given proper organi-
zation, philosophy works as cement linking the
34
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
different areas of scholarly investigation. If
philosophers really collaborate with practitioners,
they will continue to fulfill a meaningful function
in academic life, just as they did one hundred
years ago (Jung 2000: 2).
Apart from the philosophical discipline acting as enforcer
of standard for other disciplines, it is important that the
practitioners of the various disciplines do not lose touch with
the philosophical root of their various disciplines. It is expec-
ted that after engaging in an academic discipline for years, a
practitioner of the discipline should have imbibed certain
techniques of philosophy that will enable him/her to be a
master of the act of knowledge production. It is assumed that
in this tradition of knowledge production, a scientist, or any
person in any other academic discipline should be logical,
critical and rigorous as to enable him/her to perform his/her
research task in a manner conforming to a universal standard
prescribed by the philosophical discipline. It is normally
expected of any scholar that he demonstrates the philoso-
phical outlook in his/her academic enterprises, especially
.after undergoing intense and extensive training normally
.. required of a prospective scholar. This is the reason that
.. scholars are granted the degree of "Doctor of Philosophy" at
the end of their training, a degree that attests to their
acculturation into the tradition of academic research and
knowledge dissemination. But to what extent are scholars
living up to this expectation? How many scholars of other
disciplines are "philosophical" in their practice, how many
appreciate the necessity of a consistent dialogue with the
trained philosophers, in order to improve their critical and
logical skill for the effective act of knowledge production?
The situation today, as we have consistently argued in this
lecture is inhospitable to the flourishing of the discipline of
philosophy. Policy makers, excited over the success of the
scientific and technological disciplines, have completely rele-
gated the philosophical discipline to the background. In the
same vein, today's scholars, because of the situation in the
35
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN L BRARY
larger society, are not wining to adopt the philosophical
values such as should justify their terminal doctoral degrees
in Philosophy. They prefer to mimic only the scientific
methods. Rather than being regarded as the coordinator of the
sciences, philosophy has become their servant, inhabiting the
"boy's quarters" in the mansion of ideas. The success of the
scientific disciplines has made society confer on the scientists
a special status, making them arrogant and disdainful of any
other academic activity than science. The outcome of all this
is pure unabashed "scientism" in all its ramifications. Today's
scientists consider it infra dig for them to be involved in a
dialogue with philosophers. Consequently, the cientist are
unwilling, in practising th if scien e, to accept Jet alo e adopt
the philosophical tools and a ue. Thus, the latonic
injunction that "philosophers should become kings or kings
should be philosophers" is completely ignored. To return to
our biblical allusion, philosophy is no longer capable of
"preparing the way" or "a place for" other disciplines. In fact,
the situation is such that there i a paradise for the sciences,
and there is hardly any place for the philosophical enterprise.
And yet, Mr. Vice-Chancellor, philosophy, because of its
history and nature, ought to be in the vanguard of knowledge
production and moderate all disciplines in order to ensure that
the eternal value of the good life for all is preserved and
protected. The ethical challenges facing the contemporary
world make it absolutely imperative that philosophy continue
to be regarded as of extreme relevance that can only be
ignored at society's peril. It is for this reason that the
di ciplinc still retains a certain amount of popularity i son e
circles. Because of the ethical challenges referred to earlier, it
behoves every aspect of scholarship to recognize the e icai
dimension in its pursuit by responding ffective y tv the
question of how morality can be ustained in the various ar as
of human operation. ~ as therefore ecome populo r t tali
of such new concepts as, for example, research ethics,
environmental ethics, academic ethics, development ethics,
and the like.
36
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
But what role has the society given the philosophical
discipline in respect of these new moral challenges? The
reality is that the new ethical subjects are generally being
carried out in total exclusion of professionally trained philo-
sophers, the assumption being that ethical issues are general
enough to be dealt with by all and sundry. Scholars from
other fields operate as if the new ethical issues which they are
just stumbling on have not been rigorously discussed in the
many centuries of the history of philosophy. Let us cite as an
example the now popular: medical ethics. Today, medical
doctors are becoming more aware of the problems of ethics in
• edical nracri ce, They w appreciate that medical practi-
ion rs ossess ertain powers whic they can deploy 0 the
detrir ei of human values and dignity, if certain ethical
standards are not formulated and rigorously implemented.
Conscious of this fact, medical practitioners are now taking
0"1 i. this task of critically discussing the ethical issues
relating to their job. However, rather than do this in
collaboration with the philosophers who are, by training more
adequately armed with the conceptual and analytical tools
necessary for this task, the doctors monopolize the enterprise.
It .s true that the subject of medical ethics has been a
topical issue in human discourse even before Hippocrates.
But the question is: Can this problem be left in the hands of
physicians alone? The argument can be made that Hippo-
crates and the earlier physicians were engaged in the
discussion of the ethical implications of their therapeutic
activities. But there is incontrovertible evidence in classical
history that this discussion was never a monologue, it was,
rather, a dialogue between the physicians and the trained
philosophers who had the logical and critical tools to make
the discourse advance the human interest. Let us even
concede that the classical physicians were handling the issue
of medical ethics alone. This would be in the tradition of the
ancient world where the scholars were not specialists but
"jack of all trades". However, it is historically true that those
scholars saw themselves more as philosophers than as
physicians. It is known that the specialization in the various
37
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
areas of knowledge today is due to the extensive knowledge
that a scholar may have to acquire to be a specialist in an area
of knowledge. How then is it possible for today's medical
practitioner, with the enormous amount of knowledge he
needs to become a doctor, to have at the same time such
adequate knowledge of ethics and the techniques of pre-
senting ethical arguments, as to be able to effectively reflect
and proffer effective solutions to the various medical
challenges confronting us today?
The point we are making Mr. Vice-Chancellor, is that the
imperative of a rigorous discussion of the ethical dimensions
of all areas of knowledge demands as a sine qua non, an
interactive dialogue between the practitioners of the speciali-
zed areas, who have the factual knowledge of the issues and
problems in the specific knowledge areas, and the philoso-
pher, who has extensive training in how to apply the critical
and logical tools on the problems, in order to attain a higher
value for the benefit of humanity. A specific example here is
the case of abortion. While the medical doctor can raise the
ethical issues and problems involved in the procurement of
abortion, he/she still needs to discuss with a trained
philosopher the various ontological, metaphysical and episte-
mological issues regarding the nature of a human person that
will enrich the ethical discourse for the objective of attaining
the universal human value. From this kind of discourse will
come a more robust and profitable analysis. Hence, leaving
the discourse of medical ethics to medical doctors alone is
like asking a weighing machine to weigh itself or requiring a
person to be a judge in his own cause .
.At the University of Ibadan, to bring the discussion nearer
home, it is unfortunate that all issues of ethics are left in the
hands of "non-philosophers". Many ethical documents produ-
ced by the University have had little or no input from
philosophers. The argument has always been that scholars
from other disciplines have at one time or the other taken
courses in Ethics. However, does offering two or three elec-
tive courses in the subject adjudged adequate to equip anyone
with the necessary tools to do a proper analysis of ethical
38
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
matters? It is our belief, for instance, that Ethics cannot be
adequately handled without a strong background in meta-
physics and epistemology. It also cannot be effectively
discussed and the problems properly analysed without a firm
grounding in logic, coupled with many years of serious work
on ethical issues as they arose and dc\ l'I()!1l'din the history of
philosophy. Asking a person with Iu.inucntary training in
Ethics to develop documents on ethical policy is similar to
asking a person without any knowledge of anatomy to go to
the theatre to perform a surgical operation because he took
some elementary courses in surgical tools and how to
maintain them. Hence, we can see that it is really pathetic
what we have been doing with the subject of Ethics in this
country. We professional philosophers have no option but to
watch helplessly the way a well-trained obstetrician regards a
traditional midwife making frantic efforts to deliver a breech
baby with mere incantations. We know that if we, the
professionals are summoned in on time, both mother and
baby, have a decent chance of being saved. However, the
tenet of professional ethics forbids us from forcing ourselves
on the society.
We, members of the Department of Philosophy are not
resting on our oars despite tribulations and the neglect we
have experienced in areas where we feel that our competence
is urgently needed. In the year 2000, for example, we
procured a Senate Research Grant to pursue a comprehensive
study of the problems of ethics in both public and
professional operations of the country. The product of the
research, a book, will soon be published. Similarly, we were
able to propose to the University a professional Master's
programme in Professional Ethics which was approved. Over
twenty students, at least, graduate from the programme at the
end of every session. It also needs to be reported in this
lecture that our effort as a Department in the project of using
philosophy to address the crisis of development in the society
has won for us the support of the Anyiam-Osigwe Foundation
which has provided us funds in the past six years to organize
series of national and international conferences which have
culminated in the publication of three books.
39
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
On my own part, I have secured grants twice from the
French Institute for Research in Africa (IFRA) to undertake
research on Environmental Ethics and Ethics of Education,
culminating in the publication of a monograph and a chapter
in a book (Owolabi 1996a, and 2000b). Apart from these, I
have also been awarded a number of grants by the Council for
the Development of Social Science Research in Africa
(CODESRIA) for research into many dimensions of the
prevailing social crises in Africa. The most recent of such
benefactions from this organization is a grant to organize a
national working group for the study of corruption and public
morality in Nigeria.
Mr. Vice-Chancellor, the point that I am making is that as
a member of the Department of Philosophy of this University
and also as a researcher in Philosophy, I am aware of my
responsibility and that of my discipline to always help to
prepare a way for other disciplines. As an individual and as a
member of the Philosophy Department, I have been faithful to
this mission despite the travails and tribulations of our
discipline. We, philosophers in the Department of Philosophy
of this University are constantly leading the way and showing
the path to other disciplines despite the less than appreciative
attitude of the society. Our fervent hope is that the other
disciplines in the University would realize that there is need
for constant interaction and cross-fertilization of ideas to be
moderated by the philosophical discipline in order for us to be
able to realize our promise as academics. We recognize that:
... the function of philosophical teachings is
clear-to mediate between the specialist and the
nation, in order to break the barrier between
knowledge and need; to find new truth and
express it in simpler terms so that all literate
people might understand; and to stop the process
of moral nihilism where morality is seen as mere
human construct and therefore completely arbit-
rary and mutable (Garodia 2011).
40
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
Conclusion
Be of Good Cheer I Have Conquered the World
These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might
have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation but be
of good cheer; I have conquered the world (John 16:33).
We like to conclude this exercise on an optimistic note. For
this, we are relying again on the Bible for our inspiration. Our
situation as practitioners of the philosophical trade has not
been an easy one. Hence, the story of my academic career has
been the story of trials and tribulations, but we shall,
nevertheless, conquer the world. To the new student of
Philosophy who is rendered despondent by family and friends
asking the embarrassing question: "Philo kini?"; to the
Philosophy graduate who could not get a job and has been
told by his last hope for employment that studying
Philosophy-Psychology is a "double jeopardy"; to all who
make effort in the face of adversity to employ philosophical
tools to resolve the numerous problems in the society and
who are yet unappreciated or indeed treated with disdain; to
all those people who are genuine lovers of wisdom, who do
not look for an easy way out, but work conscientiously to
ensure that the advancement of humanity is realized through
the use of philosophy-to all these there is the need for
reassurance in their various preoccupation that, all will be
well.
This lecture has sought to argue that the reason why there
are many problems in the world today is because the human
race has shunned the philosophical approach and embraced
only immediate, material and empirical solutions. Let us
begin from our country Nigeria where there is a breakdown of
public morality and trust. Where all our infrastructures have
collapsed; where a culture of unjustified affluence reigns
supreme, and people desire to reap where they did not
sow-a country where violence have become the norm and
great intolerance and group conflicts rather than social order
has become the order of the day. Is there no need for a deep
reflection on this matter; a well-informed interrogation of the
41
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
situation in order to discover the root cause of this social
disorder in its diverse manifestations?
And what about the continent of Africa as a whole?
Africa has been described as the basket case of the world; a
continent that is in a free fall with her people heading for
extinction. Africa's recent history is one of a continent of
corrupt and despotic leadership; a continent of misery, want
and pandemic diseases; where the various polities cannot be
properly organized, and many states are collapsing owing to
their inability to sustain a democratic mode of governance.
Africa has become a continent where a daily struggle for
existence and survival is constantly being negotiated. Africa
is a continent where groups are pitted against one another,
and the overpowered groups are under the threat of annihila-
tion.
The global society is also on the verge of a precipice.
Even the developed countries of the world are witnessing the
threat of an implosion resulting from the social crisis
produced by extreme capitalism and its attendant value of the
celebration of individual autonomy. Those countries have
completely lost the spirit of community that always ensures
the realization of the common good. The excessive explora-
tion of nature due to the uncontrolled capacity of science and
technology has made environmental crisis a global problem.
Development in these advanced countries of the world has
been described as lopsided and unsustainable. Climatic
change and the instability of the environment have become a
threat to the survival and good living of people, even in the
Northern hemisphere where we have the so-called developed
nations.
Politically, the end of the cold war or the so-called end of
history has not brought about the cessation of violent
conflicts, rather it has witnessed the break-down of inter-
national order as a result of what Samuel Huntington calls the
clash of civilizations. The violent invasion of America,
Britain, Spain and other Western countries by the so-called
terrorist groups commenced the reign of terror in the world,
with the fear of dastard attacks seriously threatening global
peace.
42
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
All these signs of impending perilous times are products
of our unexamined living, and they highlight the fact that
science and technology may produce innovations and
inventions that may make life more comfortable, but the good
life, an ideal that philosophers have sought since time
immemorial, can only be realized by constant rigorous and
critical reflections. This is the thesis of this discourse. In
short, the argument that we have been making all along in this
lecture can be brought to a close now by raising certain
posers in respect of the crises facing Nigeria, Africa and the
world in general. After all-and we already have made the
point-philosophers operate by posing questions. We are
therefore concluding by asking the following questions:
In respect of the Nigerian society:
(i) Why did the policy makers refuse to have a founda-
tional course like philosophy in the curriculum of the
University of Ibadan when it was established in 1948,
whereas the sister university, University of Legon in
Ghana, commenced with a Department of
Philosophy?
(ii) Why is it that in the French-speaking countries of the
world philosophy is taught at the upper secondary
school level, at the stage of baccalaureate and most of
the potential entrants into the university will thus
have an elementary training in philosophy and this
opportunity is not available in Nigeria? Why is there
no opportunity for high school students coming to
study the humanities in the university to be exposed
to the study of logic and critical thinking, especially
those of them who are not quantitatively gifted and
will not take a course in mathematics?
(iii) Why is it that only two universities in the whole of
the Northem part of the country offer courses in
Philosophy, and even the long-established universi-
ties like Ahmadu Bello University, Universities of
Jos and Maiduguri do not have Departments of
Philosophy and, by implication, their students denied
any training in philosophy?
43
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
(iv) Why is it that Oxford and Cambridge universities, the
two leading universities in the United Kingdom, have
Faculties of Philosophy with many lecturers as
members of the faculty and many courses offered in
combination with Philosophy, whereas Departments
of Philosophy in Nigeria are daily struggling to
survive under the threat of rationalization?
In relation to the African society, these questions can be
posed:
(i) Why is it that our first generation of leaders with
limited opportunity for education during the colonial
period gave serious attention to the development of
ideas, and some of them like Azikiwe, Awolowo,
Nasser, Nkrumah, Nyerere, Senghor, Toure and
others became established 'philosophers in their own
right with ideas produced by them challenging the
philosophical positions of the giants in Classical
Philosophy and our contemporary leaders do not
show any respect for philosophical ideas?
(ii) Why is it that in our African universities serious
theoretical ideas are not being initiated today as it
used to be the case in the early days of post-
independence history where theoretical ideas
emerged from universities like Ibadan, Legon, Oar es
Salam and Makerere? Why is it that today our
academe in Africa only provides descriptive work
serving as raw data to be processed for deep
theoretical analysis by the universities in the North?
(iii) Why is it that in Africa today we do not have donor
agencies interested in theoretical research that can
fund the various necessary reflective researches about
the reason for the numerous crises in the country?
Why is it that African nation-states are not thinking
of establishing multinational research institutes
committed to the critical analysis of the foundational
problems of the African people?
44
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
Andfinally in relation to the global society:
(i) Why is it that the global community, particularly the
developed countries and the international organi-
zations, are devoting and committing attention to the
need for scientific advancement, and corollary
support is not given to the issue of values and its
basis as a factor in conflict generation?
(ii) Why is it that the various international responses to
the environmental crisis are not proactive? Why is it
that only the scientific dimension to the crisis is
emphasized, and attention is not given to the cultural
dimensions of the problem which only philosophical
and humanistic studies can address?
(iii) Why is it that it is not important to the United
Nations to establish an institute for the discourse of
the interaction between the sciences and the huma-
nities to be moderated by the trained philosophers for
the purpose of addressing the problem of an
inhumane scientific research and, most especially, for
the objective of critically reflecting on the ethical
challenges posed by every scientific venture or
invention?
Mr. Vice-Chancellor, it has become conventional in this
University for inaugural lectures to end with recommend-
ations and suggestions. But this convention shall be breached
in this present lecture. This is because my discipline of
Philosophy constantly strives to avoid the temptation of
making suggestions, for when recommendations are made to
an individual or group, you are likely going to prevent them
from being critical and innovative; you will make them
incapable of discovering the solution to their problems
themselves. The second reason is that when people demand
recommendations from philosophers, they do this not with the
genuine motive of getting result, but for the simple reason of
demonstrating that the philosopher is not capable of any
extraordinary wisdom. Such demands for recommendation
45
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
are more often than not a ploy to humiliate the philosopher if
he/she does not quickly discern the motive. A story has been
told of two children willing to prove that a philosopher ill
their community did not know all things contrary to the
general belief of the community. The children, so the story
goes, came to the philosopher with a bird hidden at their
back. They asked the philosopher whether the bird was still
living or dead. Sensing their motive, the philosopher paused a
bit, to reflect. If he said the bird was living they would
promptly strangle it and proclaim the philosopher unfit of his
name. If he says the bird is dead they will allow it to fly
away, also demonstrating the limited wisdom of the philoso-
pher. The philosopher, therefore, responded philosophically
by saying: "As for the life of that bird, it is in your hands".
Mr. Vice-Chancellor, like that philosopher of old, I am
avoiding any recommendation, I only say, in concluding this
lecture, that, as for the future of humanity, it is in the hands of
all of us who are in the academe, who will like to be regarded
by future generations as "philosophers", whether we have any
formal training in philosophy or not.
Let me stop the way I end all my lectures, by saying in the
philosophical spirit: "Salve, Ceasar, morituri te salutamus"
(Hail Ceasar, those of us who are about to die salute you).
Thank you for your attention and may God continue to
bless you all.
Acknowledgements
The culture of inaugural lecture has become a sort of thanks-
giving; a moment for demonstrating one's gratitude for the
support one has received over the years. My gratitude is first
to the Almighty God for his kindness and protection over me.
It is his grace that has enabled me to survive and even con-
tinue to do all I have been doing, despite all human
expectations. I also wish to thank my siblings and relations
for all their support during the many days of my illnesses.
Many of them had to stay with me in the hospital to nurse me
back to good health. In this respect I thank most sincerely,
46
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
, .
~ :.
•.- /Mrs. Kehinde Omoniyi (nee Adeaga), Mrs. Titi Opebiyi (nee
Owolabi), Mrs. Taiwo Odugbemi (nee Owolabi), Mrs. Lara
Payne ',(hee Owolabi), Mrs. Ronke Olayanju (nee Owolabi),
Alhaja Raliat Abcgbe Adenuga (nee Owolabi), Miss Adedoja
Adenuga, Mr. Kayode Dada Olu-Owolabi, Mr. Omololu Olu~
Owolabi and all my remaining siblings for their love and
devotion to me. I need to specially mention my younger
brother, Dr. Kehinde Olu-Owolabi, who is absolutely com-
mitted to my welfare ever since he was born, he had kept
many sleepless nights in hospitals to ensure that I am nursed
back to life. I pray that God will always remember his labour
of love.
I also need to thank the various, doctors, nurses and other
health workers who have been caring for me since I have
been contending with this ailment. I thank in particular, the
staff of Jaja Clinic of the University of Ibadan for their
kindness and care. If I want to mention all the health workers
who have cared for me, I will need a whole book for that. But
let me mention, Professor (Mrs.) Y. Akenova, she is not only
a physician to me, but a mother and a pillar of support. I
should also not fail to mention in name the following: Drs.
Ifederu, Kolade, Sogbamu, Adeosun and Professor Tope
Alonge, "the miracle worker" and Professor Shittu. I will not
forget my daughter and her husband, Dr. and Dr. (Mrs.)
Opara for the services they always provided through the
telephone calls at odd hours when I am down with an episode
of this ailment.
My gratitude gQ6~ to my numerous teachers from primary
school to the university level. I am indeed a product of their
good work of teaching and mentoring. Let me mention in
particular, , Professor. Joseph Omoregbe who taught me
~Pnil~s~phy at the:l!niversity of Lagos. He was not only a
teacher to mebut also? father. He gave me unfettered access
tohislibrary and many times supported financially my Ph.D
i re.S~~h. Professor (Mrs.) Oluwole was my intellectual
" " mother.' She taught me how not to accept any position on its
,';' , ", "f'lCe;ValUe.M' y other teachers of Philosophy at the University
::: '. o(C~s, Late,.D~. 'Idoniboye, Late Professor C.S. M?moh
:-::-~-~d 'P..rofessorE.K Ogundowole deserve my utmost gratitude.
:~V~.«, : ::~,..'
47
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
Let me register my appreciation of the kind support of my
colleagues at the University of Lagos, in the past and even up
till today. In this respect, I am grateful to Professors Jim
Unah, Muyiwa Falaiye, Friday Ndubuisi, Godwin Azenabor
and the entire staff of the Department of Philosophy of the
University of Lagos for making my nine years at the
University memorable and pleasurable.
I cannot forget the support and love shown to me by
members of the Department of Philosophy at the University
of Ibadan. First I thank my mentor, Professor Godwin Sogolo
who brought me to this University after serving as the
external examiner for my Ph.D thesis. His consistent
encouragement and advice has helped me tremendously to
find my bearing in the murky waters of the academic career. I
appreciate my "Oga", Professor A.G.A. Bello for his
painstaking reading and editing of some of my publications. I
thank Professor Dipo Irele for allowing us access to the latest
books constantly supplied by his legendary brother, Professor
Abiola Irele. My friend and good "Egbon", Late Professor
Olusegun Oladipo deserves my gratitude for so many things.
He taught me, by example, with his perseverance and
endurance in those days when our take home pay cannot take
us home. His sudden and untimely death is still a source of
sorrow to all who knew him. May his gentle soul continue to
rest in peace. I remember, with gratitude my Late colleague,
Dr. Chris. Uroh, for the editorial work he did on some of my
papers. Other members of the Department deserve my
appreciation, particularly the present Head of Department, Dr.
Bola Ekanola, Drs. Tunji Oyeshile, Francis Offor, Tade
Adegbindin, Shina Afolayan, Cornelius Udefi, Isaac
Ukpokolo and Chris Agulannah. Some of these colleagues
read the first draft of this work and made useful suggestions. I
also thank the two ladies in the Department, Dr. Lanre- Abass
and Mrs. Ipadeola for their constant care. My postgraduate
students were very supportive in helping to locate relevant
materials for the writing of this inaugural lecture. Mr. Bayo
Ogungbure deserves to be mentioned for his assistance at
48
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
.-
every stage of the work. Some of my colleagues in the
Faculty also read this work in the draft form and suggested
useful editorial corrections. In this respect I need to, mention
my industrious friend, Dr. Ayo Kehinde, my aburo, Mr.
Ayodeji Shittu and the father of the Faculty, Professor
Adesanoye. I am eternally indebted to the latter for the
extensive editing he did. I will continue to be grateful to all
my friends in the Faculty, Professor Tayo Adesina of the
History Department, the Chief Imam, Professor Oloyede and
Dr. Abass, both of the Department of Arabic and Islamic
Studies. Drs. Sanusi, Ageleru, Dr. (Mrs.) Kunbi Olasope and
all my "people" within the larger family of the Faculty of
Arts.
I need to thank specially the following people for their
invaluable contribution to my life: My Uncle, Emeritus
Professor A.1. Asiwaju, for choosing this path for me and for
his constant inspiration; Lt. Col. (rtd.) Abiodun Adebayo
Makanjuola for so many things. I can never forget, in particu-
lar that he paid my school fees when my father was out of the
country in 1979. May the good Lord continue to bless his
soul. Pastor Jide Abibu was a great support, both morally and
financially. He was and remains a true friend to my father. I
thank my Uncle, Lt. Col. (rtd.) Alani Akinbo for holding the
forth since my Father's death in 1990. I appreciate the kind
support given to me and my family by my "brothers",
Professor Adeniyi Gbadegesin, Head of Department of
Geography, of this University, Professor Kayode Adebowale,
the former Dean of Science, also of this University.
Honourable Kazeem Adedeji and Dr. Adeniran Aluko have
remained good and committed brothers since I met them. My
prayer is that God will continue to reward them accordingly.
Let me thank other members of my family whose effort
sustained my life till today. I thank my paternal grandmother,
Late Eunice Asabi Owolabi, for her total devotion to me. My
mother, Rachel Jarinat Ajoke Olu-Owolabi deserves my
eternal gratitude for believing in me. Let me use this opportu-
nity to apologise for subjecting her to so many anxious
moments because of my numerous breakdowns. I remember
49
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
with fond memory, my late younger brother, Adedeji
Adekunle Owolabi, former lecturer in Law, at Obafemi
Awolowo University Ile-Ife, He was there from the
beginning, when we started having this dream. It. was his
competitive spirit that keeps driving me further. It is a great
pity that he died in the course of the struggle. May his soul
continue to rest in peace. My wife, Iromidayo Bamidele, is a
pillar of support for me. Her strength and devotion has been
the secret of my modest success. I am eternally grateful to her
for tolerating all my excesses. My daughter, Omolewa
Omoboni, "Queen Elizabeth of Nigeria" and my son Ololade
Babamide "Oba Saudi", I thank God for having the two of
you. I hope today you will now appreciate the reason why I
always wake up at night and you will see the need to also join
in doing same.
Let me now appreciate the man who did it all. The one
who dreamt that one day his first son will be counted among
the professors at the University of Ibadan, my father, mentor
and best friend. He lived his life in absolute devotion to his
children. Ezekiel Oludunni Atanda Owolabi, mayGod conti-
nue to bless your kind soul. This lecture is therefore dedicated
to the memories of the three people who have had very
positive influence on my academic career, my late father,
Ezekiel Oludunni Owolabi (1934-1990), my late brother,
Adedeji Adekunle Olu-Owolabi, (1963-~005) who was also
my teacher of law and my late friend and mentor, Olusegun
Teju Oladipo (1957-2009). May Almighty God grant them
eternal peace (Amen).
50
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
Bibliography
Anderson, A. et.a!. (2007) African ways of knowing, worldviews
and pedagogy. Journal of Contemporary Issues in Education.
2(2): 1-6.
Azenabor, G. (2006) The role of philosophy in society. In
Encyclopaedia of the arts. 9(2): 97-103.
Bahn, J.A. (1979) The philosopher's world model. London:
Greenwood Press.
Balogun, O.A. (2008) The idea of an 'educated person' in
contemporary African thought. The Journal of Pan African
Studies. 2(3): 117-128.
Berlin, 1. (1998) The proper study of mankind. Phimlico.
Binsbergen, W.V. (2005a) Editorial: The principal challenge facing
the African philosopher today. Quest: An African Journal of
Philosophy. (18): 129-140.
____ (2005b) Quest laboratory: African notes on U.t\TESCO
strategy on philosophy. Quest: An African Journal of
Philosophy. (18): 3"8.
Bodunrin, P.O. (l98Ja) The question of African philosophy.
Philosophy. 56.
____ (l981b) Philosophy: Meaning and method. Ibadan
Journal of Humanistic Studies. No}: 12-25.
____ (1985a) Introduction. In Philosophy in Africa: Trends
and perspectives, Ile-Ife: University of Ife Press.
_____ (1990) Philosophy as pivot in economics, social and
political reorientation. Imodoye: A Journal of African
Philosophy. 1(1).
Briggs, J., J. Sharp (2004) Indigenous knowledge and development:
A post colonial caution. Third World Quarterly.
Buford, T. O. (1975) The socratic teacher and the modern
university. In Contemporary studies in philosophical idealism.
Howie J. and Burford T.O. (eds.) USA: Claude Stark & Co, pp.
236-246.
Chomsky, N. (1968) Philosophers and public policy. Ethics: An
International Journal of Social, Political, and Legal
Philosophy, 79(1): 1-9.
Conklin, K.R. (1968) The properties of relevance between
philosophy and education. Educational Theory. 18(4): 356-364.
Denning, S. (2006) Making sense of the knowledge era: 13 myths
of knowledge management. Available online at:
www.stevendenning.com accessed on April 15th, 2011.
51
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
Fearn, N. (2005) Philosophy: The latest answers to the oldest
questions. London: Atlantic Books.
Fitzsimons, P. (2010) School and the limits of philosophy.
Conference presentation, Philosophy of Education Society of
Australia.
Gallagher, W. (1976) Intellectual growth and the teaching of
philosophy. Metaphilosophy 7(3, 4): 316-326.
Garlikov, R. (2011) The uses of philosophy in today's world.
Available online at:
http://www.garlikov.com/philosophy/uses.htm accessed on
April 20th, 2011.
Garodia, N. (2011) The relevance of philosophy in the
contemporary world. A publication of Ezine online journal.
Available at: http://www.ezinearticles.com/?The-Relevance-of-
Philosophy-in-the-Contemporary- World&id=3411922
accessed on May 5th, 2011.
Gbadegesin, A. and Owolabi, K.A. (2004) Oil resource manage-
ment and social justice in Nigeria. Journal of Development
Alternatives and Area Studies, 13(112): 91-123.
Gonzalez, P. B. (2011) Reconstructing philosophy. A commentary
on social and moral issues of the day. Available online at:
http://www.orthodoxytoday.org/view/gonzalez-reconstructing-
philosophy accessed on May 26th, 20 II.
Griffiths, M. (2009) Justice, joy and educational delights. A
professorial inaugural lecture at the University of Edinburgh.
Hacker, P.M.S. (2011) Philosophy: A contribution, not to human
knowledge, but to human understanding. Available online at:
http://www.info.sjc.ox.ac.uklscr/hacker/docs/Philosophyfor
RIP.pdf accessed on April 24th, 2011.
Hall, J.R. (1979) Time and communal life, an applied
phenomenology. Human Studies. (2): 247-258.
Hamilton, R.P. (2010) Philosophy in developing countries. In
Transition-Its influence on philosophy in the new millennium.
The Subject Centre for Philosophical & Religious Studies.
Hayek, F.A. (1945) The use of knowledge in society. American
Economic Review. 35(4): 519-530.
Helbig, E. (1973) Professional philosophy and the layman. Meta-
philosophy. 4(1): 85-90.
Hendley, B. (1976) A whiteheadian model for teaching
introductory philosophy. Metaphilosophy. 7(3): 307-315.
Hountondji, P.J. (2009) Knowledge by Africans: Two perspectives
on African studies. RCCS Annual Review (80): 1-11.
52
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
Igbafen, M.L. (2006) An undisguised denial of the poverty and
irrelevance of philosophy. In Philosophy and Africa,
Odimegwu Ike (ed.) Amawbia: Lumos Nigeria Ltd.
Infinito, J. (2002) Education, philosophy and the art of living. Ohio
Valley Philosophy of Education.
Irele, A. (1982) In praise of alienation. An inaugural lecture
delivered ;\{{heUniversity of Ibadan.
Iribadjakov, :'\. ( 1976) Philosophy and antiphilosophy. Philosophy
. and Phenomenological Research. 35(2): 181-200.
Joad, C.E.M. ( 1976) Philosophy. London: Hodder and Stoughton.
Jonathan, S. (2001) Knowledge, relevant alternatives and missed
clues. Analysis. 61(3): 202-208.
Jung, J. (2000) The future of philosophy, 20th world congress of
philosophy. Available online at:
http://www.bu.edulwcp/Papers/Cont/Contjung.htm accessed on
April 10th, 2011.
Kelly, T. (2006) The epistemic significance of disagreement. In
. Oxford studies in epistemology. John Hawthrone and Tarmer
Gendler (eds.) Oxford: Oxford Univeristy Press.
Kaplan, M. (1991) Epistemology on holiday. The Journal of
Philosophy. 88(3): 132-154. -
Kruse, C. (1949) What contribution can philosophy make to world
understanding?' Philosophy and Phenomenological Research,
(9): 512-530. .
Kujore, O. (1981) The intercourse of discipline. In Ibadan Journal
of Humanistic Studies (1): 1-11.
Lewis, J. (1932) How to teach philosophy. Philosophy: The
Journal of the British Institute of Philosophy. (7): 454-460.
Madu, R. (1998) On the issue of philosophy and public affairs. In
Africa: Philosophy and public affairs, Enugu: Delta Publica- _
tions.
Malook, S. (2008) Philosophy and life. Al-Hikmat, (28): 57-70.
Maritain, J. (1961) On the use of philosophy, Princeton, New
Jersey: Princeton University Press.
Martin, D. (2008) Pan African metaphysical epistemology: A
pentagonal introduction. The Journal of Pan African Studies.
2(3): 209-227.
Mkandawire, T. (2010) Running while others walk: The challenge
of African development. An inaugural lecture presented at The
f London School of Economics and Political Science.
53
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
, ..~<. " ~
".-;-
."'
Nyamnjoh, F.B. (2004) A televant education for African.' .. ,,'
development-Some epistemological considerations. CODES-
RIA: African Development. 29(1): 16~-184. .
Oguejiofor, J.O. (1998) Introduction: Philosophy in search of
relevance in Africa. In Africa: Philosophy and public affairs,
J.O. Oguejiofor (ed.) Enugu: Delta Publications. >
O'Hear, AO. (2001) Philosophy in the new century. London:
Continuum Books.
Okolo, C. (1998) Africa: Philosophy and public life - A socio-
political perspective. In Africa: Philosophy and public affairs,
Enugu: Delta Publications. .
Oladipo, O. (1989) Towards a philosophical study of Africa: A
critique of traditionalism. Quest: Philosophical Discussions,
Vol 3, No 2.
____ (1992) The idea of African philosophy: A critical
study of the major orientations in contemporary African
philosophy. Ibadan: Molecular Publisher. ~,
(1999) Knowledge and the African renaissance.
WAJOPPS: West African Journal of Philosophical Studies (2):
5-17.
____ (2008) Thinking about philosophy: A general guide.
Ibadan: Hope Publications.
Olukoju, A. (2002) The crisis of research and academic publishing
in Nigerian universities: The twentieth century and beyond.
Paper for the annual spring symposium - African universities
in the twenty first century, University of IIlinoislCODESRIA,
Dakar, Senega!.
Owolabi, K.A, and Olu-Owolabi F.E. (2009) Corporate
responsibility and the crisis of development in Africa. Journal
of Sustainable Development in Africa. 10(4):218-232.
Owolabi, K.A (1989) Transcendental subjectivity as the
foundation of knowledge: A critique of Edmund Husserl's
epistemological foundationalism. A Ph.D Thesis defended at
the University of Lagos, Nigeria.
_____ (1992) The dichotomy between the natural attitude
and the phenomenological attitude in the philosophy of
Edmund Husser!. The Nigerian Journal of Philosophy
12(1&2): 50-64.
____ (1993a) On the myth called Negro-African mode of
knowing. The Bodija Journal, a publication of the SS Peter and
Paul Major Seminary. Ibadan. (5): 38-50.
54
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
Owolabi, K.A. (1993b) A review article on the idea of African
philosophy by Segun Oladipo. Quest: Philosophical Discus-
sions. University of Groningen, Netherlands. 7(2): 121-127.
____ (1993-1994) Foundationalism and coherentism: Two
misconceptions of knowledge and its justification. The
Nigerian Journal of Philosophy. 13(1&2): 21-32.
____ (1995a) Edmund Husserl's rehabilitation of Cartesian
foundationalism. Indian Philosophical Quarterly. 7(1): 13-24.
____ (1995b) Cultural nationalism and western hegemony:
A critique of Appiah's universalism. Africa Development:
Journal of CODES RIA. Dakar, Senegal. 7(2): 113-123.
____ (1996a) African philosophy and the African crisis.
Quest: Philosophical Discussions. 9(3): 82-96.
____ (1996b) Regional integration and the imperative of
cultural rehabilitation: A philosopher's response to the issues
of dependency and integration in Africa. Ufahamu, Journal of
African Activist. 24(2-3): 82-96.
____ (1996c) Because of our future: The imperative of
environmental ethics for sustainable environment in Africa.
I.F.R.A. Monograph Series. Thadan: French Institute for
Research in Africa/African Book Builders.
____ (1999a) Orientations in African philosophy: A critical
survey. Indian Philosophical Quarterly. 24(1): 59-70.
____ (1999b) Two themes in African philosophy. Journal
of Philosophy and Development 5( 1-2): 22-33.
(1999c) Avoiding anarchy: Social conflicts, social
justice and the challenge of social transformation in 21 st
century Africa. International Journal of African Culture and
Ideas. 2(1-2): 153-167. Also in Africa and Globalization
towards the Millennium. Vol. 2 of the collected papers of the
International Conference. University of Central Lancashire
Preston, England.
_____ (2000a) From chaos to community: African problems
and future prospects. Journal of Future Studies. Educational
Development Center, Taiwan. 5(2): 145-156.
(2000b) Privatization and public morality:
Professional ethics and the privatization of tertiary Education
in Nigeria. In The dilemma of post-colonial universities. Yaan
Lebout and M. Ogunsanya (eds.) Thadan: French Institute for
Research in Africa/African Book Builders. Pp. 289-300.
55
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
Owolabi, K.A (2001 a) Wisdom is mightier than might: Fagunwa's
narrative and the Yoruba communal philosophy. Journal of
Cultural Studies, African Cultural Initiatives, Lagos. 3(2): 574-
585.
____ (200tb) The quest for method in African philosophy:
A defense of the hermeneutic-narrative approach. The
Philosophical Forum. 32(2): 147-163.
____ (200Ic) Globalization, Americanization and western
imperialism: Between imperialism and communitarianism.
Journal of Social Development 16(2): 147-163.
(2003a) Philosophy in Africa: Pure or Applied.
Humanities Review Journal. Humanities Research Forum.
3(1): 11-20.
____ (2003b) Fictional tribes and tribal fiction: Ethnicity,
ethnocentrism and the problem of other in Africa. Identity,
Culture and Politics, Bangladesh 4(1): 85-109.
(2004) Edmund Husserl's reconciliations and
reconstructions in traditional epistemology. Bodija Journal (7):
91- 105.
Pallas, AM. (200 I) Preparing education doctoral students for
epistemological diversity. Educational Researcher. 30(5): 6-
11.
Pieper, J. (1992) In defense of philosophy. Trans. by Lothar Krauth.
San Francisco: Ignatius Press.
Rahman, A (2000) Development of an integrated traditional and
scientific knowledge base: A mechanism-for accessing, benefit
sharing and documenting traditional knowledge for sustainable
socio-economic development and poverty alleviation.
Delivered at United Nations Conference on Trade and
Development (UNCTAD). pp. 1-15.
Ross,G.M. (2010) Supporting philosophy, theology, religious
studies, history of science and philosophy of science. The
Higher Education Academy.
Russell, B. (1967) The problems of philosophy ..Oxford: Oxford
University Press.
Sadiq, I.R. (2009) Unethical practices in the Nigeria's university
system: Pattern, causes and solutions. A paper presented at the
9th Annual BEN-AFRICA Conference.
56
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
Schwartz, M. (2005) Introspection .and transformation in philo-
sophy today. In A feast of logos: Essays in commemoration of
the tenth anniversary of the Georgia Continental Philosophy
Circle, Georgia J.W. Michael (ed.): Philosophy Series, pp. 3-.
16.
Schofield, H. (1972) The philosophy of education: An introduction.
London: George Allen Unwin Ltd.
Searle, J .R. (2003) Philosophy in a new century. Philosophy in
America at the turn of the century. Berkeley: Philosophy
Documentation Centre.
Spiegelberg, H. (1980) Putting ourselves into the place of others:
Toward a phenomenology of imaginary self transposal. Human
Studies. (3): 169-173.
Staniland, A.S. (1978) What is philosophy? Second order, An
African Journal of Philosophy. 8(112).
Stein, z. (2009) Educational crises and the scramble for usable
knowledge. Integra/Review. 5(2): 355-367.
Strasser, S. (1963) After scientific philosophy: Myth or wisdom?
International Philosophical Quarterly (3): 37-54.
Temple, G. (1954) The classic & romantic in natural philosophy.
An inaugural lecture delivered at the University of Oxford.
Terfa, A.K. (2006) Philosophy and human situation: Issues of
development in Africa. In Philosophy and Africa, Odimegwu
Ike (ed.) Amawbia: Lumos Nigeria Ltd.
Ugwuanyi, L. (2006) Disabusing the mind of the prejudices against
the world of philosoph)'. In Philosophy and Africa, Odimegwu
Ike (ed.) Amawbia: Lumos Nigeria Ltd.
Welboume, . M. (1981) The community of knowledge. The
Philosophical Quarterly, 31(124): 302- 315.
Wiredu, K. (1980) Philosophy and an African culture. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press.
57
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
BIODATA OF PROFESSOR·
KOLAWOLE ADEREMI OLU-OWOLABI
Professor Kolawole Aderemi Olu-Owolabi was born on the
30th of May 1961 at Ikenne-Remo, Ogun State to Chief
Ezekiel Oludunni Owolabi of Igbogila, Yewa North Local
Government of Ogun State and Mrs. Jarinat Rachel Ajoke
Owolabi of Ayetoro, Yewa North Local Government of Ogun
State. He had his primary education at Ansar-ud-Deen
Primary School, Oke Ado, Ibadan. His secondary education
was at St. Patrick's Grammar School, Ibadan, where he
obtained his School Certificate in 1978. He thereafter
proceeded to Comprehensive High School, Ayetoro, for his
Higher School Certificate, which he obtained in 1980. The
same year, he was admitted to the University of Lagos, for a
degree in Philosophy. At the end of his first year, he won the
prestigious Federal Government Merit Award Scholarship for
beingthe best student in his class. He graduated in 1983 with
a Second Class Upper Division, winning the Departmental
Prize as the best student in his class. He was retained at the
Department of Philosophy of his University, for his National
Youth Service. He commenced his doctorate programme in
September of 1984, while he was also employed as a graduate
assistant, to teach in the Department. He defended his Ph.D
thesis on the 9th May 1989, becoming the first person in the
history of the Department to do so.
Professor Olu-Owolabi joined the Department of
Philosophy, University of Ibadan, on the 5th of October 1989,
as a Lecturer Grade II. He was promoted to the position of
Lecturer Grade I in 1993, Senior Lecturer in 1996 and
Professor in 2002. Professor Olu-Owolabi served as the
Acting Head of Department of Philosophy of the University
between 2002 and 2004. He also obtained the LL.B. Honours
. degree, with a Second Class Upper Division from Obafemi
Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. He was called to the Nigerian
Bar as a Solicitor and Advocate of the Supreme Court of
Nigeria in 2007. During his sabbatical leave in the 2008-2009
58
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY
session, he obtained an LL.M degree, with distinction from
the same Obafemi Awolowo University.
Professor Olu-Owolabi is a member of the Nigerian
Philosophical Association (N.P.A), Nigerian Bar Association
(N.B.A.), Council for the Development of Social Science
Research in Africa (CODESRIA), Fellow of the Institute of
United States Studies (!FUSS) Iowa University, Iowa City.
He has won many academic fellowships, which include
Rockefeller Fellowship for American Studies, at the
University of Iowa, Iowa in 1999, CODESRIA Governance
Institute 1999, British Council Travel Grant 1998, French
Institute for Research in Africa, 1996 and 2000 and
CODESRIA National Working Group grant, 2010-2012.
Professor Olu-Owolabi has been an external examiner and
assessor of Ph.D and professorial promotions to the following
universities; University of Lagos, Lagos, Obafemi Awolowo
University, Ile-Ife, Olabisi Onabajo University, Ago-Iwoye,
University of Ado-Ekiti, Ado-Ekiti, Adekunle Ajasin
University, Akungba-Akoko, He was at One time part time or
visiting lecturer at Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye,
Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba, University of Lagos,
Lagos, Nigerian Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies,
Kuru-Jos, University of Iowa, Iowa-City, United States. He
was also a Resource Person to the CODESRIA Governance
Institute in 2006. He has attended international conferences in
countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana,
Malaysia, Mozambique, Senegal, South-Africa, United
Kingdom and the United States. Professor Olu-Owolabi has
supervised over sixty Master's students, 10 Ph.D graduates,
both within his Department and at the Peace and Conflict
Programme of the Institute of African Studies. He has over
sixty publications in reputable outlets. Professor Olu-Owolabi
is presently the Dean, Faculty of Arts. He is married and
blessed with children.
59
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LIBRARY