Relativism, Coherence, and the Problems of Philosophy *

The eventual topic of this paper is the perhaps grandiose question of whether we have any reason to think that philosophical problems can be solved. Philosophy has been around for quite some time, and its record is cause for pessimism: it is not, exactly, that there are no established results, but that what results there are, are negative (such-and-such is false, or won't work), or conditional (as Ernest Nagel used to say, "If we had ham, and if we had eggs, then we'd have ham and eggs"). 1 I hope in what follows first of all to explain the record. My explanation will naturally suggest a way of turning over a new leaf, and I will wrap up the paper by laying out that proposal and critically assessing its prospects. However, the approach to my topic will have to be roundabout. Along the way, I will detour to consider how the problems of philosophy can be * I'm grateful t

Política etnorreligiosa, conflito intra-estatal e o futuro da democracia na Costa do Marfim Ethno-religious politics, intra state conflict and the future of democracy in Côte d'Ivoire

Este artigo utiliza o método descritivo para analisar as origens e o caráter aparentemente intratável, mas evitável, dos fatores ancilares que implicaram a derrocada da Costa do Marfim, que já foi uma ilha de estabilidade política, uma vitrine de prosperidade econômica e de sucesso em uma África Ocidental mergulhada em guerras civis. O artigo investiga as políticas dos Estados colonial e pós-colonial até a morte do presidente Félix Houphouët-Boigny, a era pós-Houphouët e suas crises política e socioeconômica, e a má administração do legado de Boigny, que levaram ao conflito interno. As conseqüências da disputa interna também são investigadas nos níveis nacional e sub-regional, assim como as resoluções dos conflitos por meio das ineficientes iniciativas de paz de Accra que, inexoravelmente, levariam às conversas de paz de Lina-Marcoussis. Os resultados das negociações, a participação de poderes não africanos e o futuro da democracia na Costa do Marfim também são investigados.<br>This paper uses descriptive method to analyse the origin and the seemingly intractable but avoidable ancillary factors that plunged Côte d'Ivoire, which was once the island of political stability, the showcase of economic prosperity and success in West Africa in the fangs of civil war. The paper surveys the policies of the colonial and postcolonial state till the death of President Félix Houphouët-Boigny, the post-Houphouët era and its lot of political and socio-economic upheavals and the mismanagement of the legacies of Boigny that led to the internal conflict. The consequences of the civil strife are also surveyed at the national and sub-regional levels as well as the resolutions of the conflict through the botched Accra peace initiatives that inexorably led to the Lina-Marcoussis peace talks. The aftermath of the negotiations and the involvement of extra-African powers and the future of democracy in Côte d'Ivoire are also looked into