Hans Jonas' thought on the ethics of research on human subjects and its implications for contempo... more Hans Jonas' thought on the ethics of research on human subjects and its implications for contemporary medical research in Nigeria was examined. The thinking and teachings of Hans Jonas was on the need for medical research to advance beyond the use animals for research and experimentations to research on human subjects. Jonas upholds the established view that medicin e is an experimental science and that most medical advances are product of trial and error but goes further to argue that the u se of animals such as rabbits, pigs, guinea pigs, rats and the like that share the same biological characteristics with human for different forms of medical research should be discarded because such do not give the appropriate information to the researcher. However, medical researches and experimentations in most developing countries seem not to have advanced beyond the use of experimental animals. Jonas argues that modern medical researches and experimentations should be carried out on human subjects with the view that it is humans alone that can give the appropriate information for treatment of diseases that plague human beings. Jonas also thinks that research on human subject seems to be necessary on the grounds that such appears to be one of the best avenu es for training of contemporary medical students and for treatment of some debilitating diseases in the future.
he Africa of today is facing a multifaceted crisis, ranging from insecurity, poverty, and a restl... more he Africa of today is facing a multifaceted crisis, ranging from insecurity, poverty, and a restless feeling of apathy. Despite some laudable attempts made to curtail or eliminate these predicaments, Africa still remains in the gloom of these crises. The basics of Africa's most topical problems remain the continuous loss of human capital due to the relentless problem of insecurity. This paper argues that Africa's revitalization and renaissance depends on the successful utilization of her human capital through education, for only an educated people can command the skills necessary for sustainable economic growth and development. Hence, education is a necessary condition for the socioeconomic development of Africa. Richard Rorty avers that for education to be utilized as a developmental tool for societal engineering, it must be both hermeneutical and pragmatic; that it must take into serious consideration the cultural peculiarity of the people, within which practical solutions are proffered to arrest the problems of the immediate society. It is our reasoned opinion in this paper that this type of education is what African societies need in order to tackle the avalanche of problems bedeviling the country. Majority of the information gathered are from media sources which don't reflect the author's own opinion.
This paper argues that a people's ontology determine their world-view which in turn is manifested... more This paper argues that a people's ontology determine their world-view which in turn is manifested in their outlook and attitudes towards life and existence. This view point is contrary to the popular view enunciated by scholars such as Redfield, Kraft, Gyekye, Egbunu and Mbaegbu who hold world view as synonymous with ontology and in some instances as if a people's world-view determines their ontology. It is against this backdrop that this paper examines the Igala ontology which is about the people's thought system which is exposed through their world view and is experienced in and through their attitude towards life, family, society and other aspects of their social praxis. The paper is investigative in nature, analytical in outlook and critical in approach. It investigates the thought of the people and presents them for analysis with critical tools. It is organized as follows: introduction, clarification of concepts, Igala People and their world view, Relationships between Igala worldview and their ontology, Igala ontology and its reflection on their thought system, Influence of Igala ontology on their social praxis, evaluation and conclusion.
This paper examined the prominent role played by security of life and properties in the developme... more This paper examined the prominent role played by security of life and properties in the development of the society. Its primary focus is that security is the major determinant of development of any society. It also critically examined the role of security in the development of the Nigerian nation. It ramified the concepts of national security and national development, how they are intertwined and linked them to the Nigerian society. The paper examined the causes of national security challenges in Nigeria such as corruption, injustice, poverty, poor health care delivery services, decayed and collapsed infrastructure, environmental degradation and socioreligious crises. The paper examined the correlations between all these causes of insecurity and the crises of underdevelopment in Nigeria particularly in the area of abject poverty, unemployment, lack of functional industries, low foreign investment, diversion of public funds, youth restiveness, religious and social violence, poor tour...
The Africa of today is facing a multifaceted crisis, ranging from insecurity, poverty, and a rest... more The Africa of today is facing a multifaceted crisis, ranging from insecurity, poverty, and a restless feeling of apathy. Despite some laudable attempts made to curtail or eliminate these predicaments, Africa still remains in the gloom of these crises. The basics of Africa’s most topical problems remain the continuous loss of human capital due to the relentless problem of insecurity. This paper argues that Africa’s revitalization and renaissance depends on the successful utilization of her human capital through education, for only an educated people can command the skills necessary for sustainable economic growth and development. Hence, education is a necessary condition for the socio-economic development of Africa. Richard Rorty avers that for education to be utilized as a developmental tool for societal engineering, it must be both hermeneutical and pragmatic; that it must take into serious consideration the cultural peculiarity of the people, within which practical solutions are p...
This paper holds that St. Thomas Aquinas' conception of natural law that was discussed in the med... more This paper holds that St. Thomas Aquinas' conception of natural law that was discussed in the medieval era is highly relevant in the light of the contemporary realities. Thomas Aquinas opines that natural law is the law that holds sway over every being, a law that is immutable, eternal and is expressed and experienced in and through several ways by all human beings. The thought of Aquinas on natural law sees it as having divine origin and having a teleological orientation towards the divine. Several scholars such as Hugo, Locke, Fortin have carried out diverse analysis on Aquinas' thought but this thought of this great scholar needs to be reexamined in the light of the contemporary discourse in natural law and its relations to both Divine and positive law. This research work is expository in nature and analytical in approach with primary aim of examining the thought of Aquinas on natural law.
The paper uses Immanuel Kant's moral principles to examine the concept of obligatory morality by ... more The paper uses Immanuel Kant's moral principles to examine the concept of obligatory morality by Henri Bergson. Henri Bergson holds that the society is the cause and source of obligation which obviously implies that the sense of obligation is a sense of social pressure. Accordingly, the voice of duty is not something mysterious coming from an unimaginable world but rather, the voice of the society. Accordingly, if one conforms to the directives of these rules it would mean resistance to self. Hence, when one is morally obliged to act in a specific way, he refers to a belief that the act is one prescribed by a set of values. Kant's categorical imperative holds that if an act is cleared to be performed it should be universalized for any other person in similar situation to perform such action. The question therefore is: how do we reconcile the dictates of the society with the categorical imperative of Kant? The paper is expository in nature, critical in outlook and analytical in method. It uses Kant's ethical standard as its modus operandi in the discourse of Henri Bergson's obligatory morality.
AFRREV IJAH: An International Journal of Arts and Humanities, 2016
In the development of Greek philosophy, the focus of the ancient philosophers on realities, tryin... more In the development of Greek philosophy, the focus of the ancient philosophers on realities, trying to determine the ultimate principle of all things, begs the question as to what part or extent of reality is assessable to man's knowledge. And a kind of skepticism was born, shifting the attention from the object [or the realities on which the ancient philosophers were focused on] to the observing or the knowing subject; man and the means through which he comes into contact with the known object. Thus, the possibility of attaining certain knowledge about realities was denied by the skeptics, giving the unreliable nature of the means by which such knowledge were acquired and the complexities of realities as powerful premises for their conclusion until the emergence of Descartes' cogito ergo sum, proving that there was something that could be known for certain using their [or the skeptic's] own method [doubting] to prove to them that in their own doubting, they confirm their own existence. This paper is concerned with whether or not the cogito is a suitable premise for the conclusion ["existence"] of his argument. However, my aim in this work is, not to refuse the truth of the existence of any reality, rather to show the inadequacies of Descartes' argument for them, with particular focus on the context within which his argument proceeds,
Hans Jonas' thought on the ethics of research on human subjects and its implications for contempo... more Hans Jonas' thought on the ethics of research on human subjects and its implications for contemporary medical research in Nigeria was examined. The thinking and teachings of Hans Jonas was on the need for medical research to advance beyond the use animals for research and experimentations to research on human subjects. Jonas upholds the established view that medicin e is an experimental science and that most medical advances are product of trial and error but goes further to argue that the u se of animals such as rabbits, pigs, guinea pigs, rats and the like that share the same biological characteristics with human for different forms of medical research should be discarded because such do not give the appropriate information to the researcher. However, medical researches and experimentations in most developing countries seem not to have advanced beyond the use of experimental animals. Jonas argues that modern medical researches and experimentations should be carried out on human subjects with the view that it is humans alone that can give the appropriate information for treatment of diseases that plague human beings. Jonas also thinks that research on human subject seems to be necessary on the grounds that such appears to be one of the best avenu es for training of contemporary medical students and for treatment of some debilitating diseases in the future.
he Africa of today is facing a multifaceted crisis, ranging from insecurity, poverty, and a restl... more he Africa of today is facing a multifaceted crisis, ranging from insecurity, poverty, and a restless feeling of apathy. Despite some laudable attempts made to curtail or eliminate these predicaments, Africa still remains in the gloom of these crises. The basics of Africa's most topical problems remain the continuous loss of human capital due to the relentless problem of insecurity. This paper argues that Africa's revitalization and renaissance depends on the successful utilization of her human capital through education, for only an educated people can command the skills necessary for sustainable economic growth and development. Hence, education is a necessary condition for the socioeconomic development of Africa. Richard Rorty avers that for education to be utilized as a developmental tool for societal engineering, it must be both hermeneutical and pragmatic; that it must take into serious consideration the cultural peculiarity of the people, within which practical solutions are proffered to arrest the problems of the immediate society. It is our reasoned opinion in this paper that this type of education is what African societies need in order to tackle the avalanche of problems bedeviling the country. Majority of the information gathered are from media sources which don't reflect the author's own opinion.
This paper argues that a people's ontology determine their world-view which in turn is manifested... more This paper argues that a people's ontology determine their world-view which in turn is manifested in their outlook and attitudes towards life and existence. This view point is contrary to the popular view enunciated by scholars such as Redfield, Kraft, Gyekye, Egbunu and Mbaegbu who hold world view as synonymous with ontology and in some instances as if a people's world-view determines their ontology. It is against this backdrop that this paper examines the Igala ontology which is about the people's thought system which is exposed through their world view and is experienced in and through their attitude towards life, family, society and other aspects of their social praxis. The paper is investigative in nature, analytical in outlook and critical in approach. It investigates the thought of the people and presents them for analysis with critical tools. It is organized as follows: introduction, clarification of concepts, Igala People and their world view, Relationships between Igala worldview and their ontology, Igala ontology and its reflection on their thought system, Influence of Igala ontology on their social praxis, evaluation and conclusion.
This paper examined the prominent role played by security of life and properties in the developme... more This paper examined the prominent role played by security of life and properties in the development of the society. Its primary focus is that security is the major determinant of development of any society. It also critically examined the role of security in the development of the Nigerian nation. It ramified the concepts of national security and national development, how they are intertwined and linked them to the Nigerian society. The paper examined the causes of national security challenges in Nigeria such as corruption, injustice, poverty, poor health care delivery services, decayed and collapsed infrastructure, environmental degradation and socioreligious crises. The paper examined the correlations between all these causes of insecurity and the crises of underdevelopment in Nigeria particularly in the area of abject poverty, unemployment, lack of functional industries, low foreign investment, diversion of public funds, youth restiveness, religious and social violence, poor tour...
The Africa of today is facing a multifaceted crisis, ranging from insecurity, poverty, and a rest... more The Africa of today is facing a multifaceted crisis, ranging from insecurity, poverty, and a restless feeling of apathy. Despite some laudable attempts made to curtail or eliminate these predicaments, Africa still remains in the gloom of these crises. The basics of Africa’s most topical problems remain the continuous loss of human capital due to the relentless problem of insecurity. This paper argues that Africa’s revitalization and renaissance depends on the successful utilization of her human capital through education, for only an educated people can command the skills necessary for sustainable economic growth and development. Hence, education is a necessary condition for the socio-economic development of Africa. Richard Rorty avers that for education to be utilized as a developmental tool for societal engineering, it must be both hermeneutical and pragmatic; that it must take into serious consideration the cultural peculiarity of the people, within which practical solutions are p...
This paper holds that St. Thomas Aquinas' conception of natural law that was discussed in the med... more This paper holds that St. Thomas Aquinas' conception of natural law that was discussed in the medieval era is highly relevant in the light of the contemporary realities. Thomas Aquinas opines that natural law is the law that holds sway over every being, a law that is immutable, eternal and is expressed and experienced in and through several ways by all human beings. The thought of Aquinas on natural law sees it as having divine origin and having a teleological orientation towards the divine. Several scholars such as Hugo, Locke, Fortin have carried out diverse analysis on Aquinas' thought but this thought of this great scholar needs to be reexamined in the light of the contemporary discourse in natural law and its relations to both Divine and positive law. This research work is expository in nature and analytical in approach with primary aim of examining the thought of Aquinas on natural law.
The paper uses Immanuel Kant's moral principles to examine the concept of obligatory morality by ... more The paper uses Immanuel Kant's moral principles to examine the concept of obligatory morality by Henri Bergson. Henri Bergson holds that the society is the cause and source of obligation which obviously implies that the sense of obligation is a sense of social pressure. Accordingly, the voice of duty is not something mysterious coming from an unimaginable world but rather, the voice of the society. Accordingly, if one conforms to the directives of these rules it would mean resistance to self. Hence, when one is morally obliged to act in a specific way, he refers to a belief that the act is one prescribed by a set of values. Kant's categorical imperative holds that if an act is cleared to be performed it should be universalized for any other person in similar situation to perform such action. The question therefore is: how do we reconcile the dictates of the society with the categorical imperative of Kant? The paper is expository in nature, critical in outlook and analytical in method. It uses Kant's ethical standard as its modus operandi in the discourse of Henri Bergson's obligatory morality.
AFRREV IJAH: An International Journal of Arts and Humanities, 2016
In the development of Greek philosophy, the focus of the ancient philosophers on realities, tryin... more In the development of Greek philosophy, the focus of the ancient philosophers on realities, trying to determine the ultimate principle of all things, begs the question as to what part or extent of reality is assessable to man's knowledge. And a kind of skepticism was born, shifting the attention from the object [or the realities on which the ancient philosophers were focused on] to the observing or the knowing subject; man and the means through which he comes into contact with the known object. Thus, the possibility of attaining certain knowledge about realities was denied by the skeptics, giving the unreliable nature of the means by which such knowledge were acquired and the complexities of realities as powerful premises for their conclusion until the emergence of Descartes' cogito ergo sum, proving that there was something that could be known for certain using their [or the skeptic's] own method [doubting] to prove to them that in their own doubting, they confirm their own existence. This paper is concerned with whether or not the cogito is a suitable premise for the conclusion ["existence"] of his argument. However, my aim in this work is, not to refuse the truth of the existence of any reality, rather to show the inadequacies of Descartes' argument for them, with particular focus on the context within which his argument proceeds,
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