On the Philosophy of Taoism

The question of whether what is known as ‘Eastern Philosophy’ qualifies as real philosophical venture engenders lingering divergent positions among scholars.  Edmund Husserl, for instance, view the entire corpus as some forms of religion embodying specific systems of belief and mystical practices bereft of Greco-European model of philosophy. This paper is an attempt to further, in the context of ‘Receiving Asian Philosophy’, the project of consolidating the reality of that Philosophy. The paper attends to the project by exposing and examining, the philosophy of Taoism, which advances the interconnection between nature and reality, with special attention to its principles of nature. As a research based on qualitative method, this paper relies on library and web sources for data collection. It combines the methods of phenomenology and analysis (Phenomenalysis) for its enquiry. The paper finds that against the polemical viewpoints of Husserlian like minds, some other scholars including Joseph Adler, Chen Chung-Ying, Bina Gupta and Cheng Derong endeavoured to establish the philosophical appropriateness of Eastern Philosophy. It also finds that since philosophy can be viewed, in line with the thought of Theophilus Okere, as hermeneutics of culture, Chinese philosophy, an important aspect of Eastern philosophy is the critical presentation and interpretation of the Chinese culture. The paper further finds that Taoism with its emphasis on nature represents the oriental perspective to the entire corpus of humanism, although with minor content on scientific and technological progress.  The uniqueness of this paper lies in its attempt to reinvent the import of Taoism especially its theory of quiescence in the contemporary world driven so much by the blare of homocentric humanism. Nevertheless, the paper’s appraisal of Taoism shows that its tenets cannot be taken in its totality. Rather any adherent of Tao ought to find a balance of life by developing intellectual capacity and proper disposition to the human preservation driven progress of the modern time. Keywords: Philosophy, Taoism, Quiescence, Humanism DOI: 10.7176/JPCR/50-08 Publication date:October 31st 202

On pedagogy of the oppressed: An appraisal of Paulo Freire’s philosophy of education

Education is critical to human development. Scholars have always been concerned with the appropriate method or pedagogy to adopt for education. Usually two parties are involved in any learning process- the teacher and the learner(s). The contention on pedagogy has always been whether learning ought to be teacher centered or student centered. While the proponents of traditional pedagogue in education emphasize the experience of the teacher; most modern and contemporary scholars like John Dewey and Paulo Freire emphasize the experience of the learner. Paulo Freire rejected the traditional education system tagging it a banking system because it tends to impose the experience of the teacher on the learner; undermining the experience and personal total development of the learner. He proposed a critical pedagogue as an ideal; a pedagogue that is problem-posing with emphasis laid on the experience of the learner. This article studies Paulo Freire’s critical pedagogue using the analytic method. It finds that Paulo Freire’s pedagogue is emancipatory because it promotes freedom of thought, encourages innovation and is capable of molding people into active citizens with the ability to hold their leaders responsible for bad governance. In this sense, the pedagogue can be handy for political participation and nation building. The article also finds that the pedagogue can lead to anarchy in the learning environment with its seeming overemphasis on the freedom of thought of the learners; it can give learners undue control or influence over their teachers. Keywords: Education, Pedagogy, Experience

A philosophical investigaton into African values: towards ameliorating the African predicament

To say that Africans have been termed inferior beings by the racist philosophy of some western Europeans is to say a known fact. To say that most Africans have consciously or unconsciously assimilated that inferiority label is equally a cleat fact. To argue that colonization and Christianization of Africans by western Europeans left negative effects on the psyche of Africans is to say nothing but the truth. Due to the combined forces of colonization, Christianization, Islamization and chiefly slave trade, etc., with their attendant ills resulting in the inferiority complex ofthe African, the African seems to have lost confidence and consequently, looked down on her traditional values, hence, devaluing those cherished and veritable autochthonous values that have the power to better her conditions. In this piece, through the method of philosophical investigation, a case is made to the effect that, in the devalued African values, among others, lie solutions to Africa’s predicament

A reconstruction of Africa’s political culture in the purview of Fulani herdsmen current mode of operations in Nigeria

It is an established fact that Nigeria is the most populous nation in Africa. It is equally a common understanding that the internal political dynamics in Nigeria invariably, little or more, have their effects on the general well-being of Africa as a continent. In mind of this strategic position of Nigeria in relation to the majority of African nations, and in the light of the current mode of operation by the Fulani herdsmen in Nigeria; this study argues that a reconstruction of Nigeria’s Political Culture, and by extension, that of Africa as a whole is imperative. This is because, just like Nigeria, almost all African nations have the challenges associated with immigration. With the concept of communistic Culture as a proposed solution, it is believed in this study that a cue from it will to a greater extent solve the problems of immigration, that is, majority culture versus minority culture challenges in African nations’ corporate existence.Keywords: Reconstruction, Political Culture, Fulani, Herdsmen, Communistic Cultur

Influence of Post-Stroke Depression on Functional Independence in Activities of Daily Living

BACKGROUND: Little attention has been paid to screening of depression among stroke survivors in outpatient physiotherapy clinics. Post-stroke depression is reported to have a negative impact on functional recovery. However, the exact influence on the outcome of rehabilitation such as level of functional independence remains controversial. This study aims at ascertaining the influence of post-stroke depression on functional independence in activities of daily living.METHODS: The study is a cross sectional survey of stroke survivors attending outpatient physiotherapy clinics of the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH) Enugu, and the Enugu State University Teaching Hospital (ESUTH). Participants were evaluated for socio demographic characteristics. Post-stroke depression and level of functional recovery in Activities of Daily Living were assessed using the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale and the Barthel Index respectively. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 23, with α set at 0.01.RESULTS: A total of 66 participants, 42 females and 24 males, were purposively recruited into the study. Over 80% (56) of the participant had depression, with over 50% (32) being severely depressed. Post-stroke depression was associated with less functional independence in activities of daily living (p=0.000). A significant difference was found in the level of functional independence between participants with and without depression (p=0.00).CONCLUSION: Participants with post-stroke depression have less independence in activities of daily living. A longitudinal study with a larger sample size is, however, recommended so as to improve the external validity. In the mean time, outpatient rehabilitation of depressed stroke survivors should include pharmacological and psychological components.

Assessment of Alpha Fetoprotein Levels and Gamma Glutamyl Transferase Activity in Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C Seropositive Subjects in Nnewi, Nigeria

Hepatitis B and hepatitis C viral infections are the leading cause of liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma worldwide. These conditions, which mar the hepatic functional integrity, are characterized by alterations in the liver function markers such as alpha fetoprotein (AFP) and gamma glutamyl tranferase (GGT). In the present study, a total of 90 subjects were recruited. Out of this number, 30 were hepatitis B seropositive subjects, 30 hepatitis C seropositive individuals and the remaining 30 were apparently healthy individuals. The last group served as the control. Serum alpha fetoprotein levels were estimated by the Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) technique and the method adopted for the determination of gamma glutamyl transferase activity was the kinetic-spectrophotometric procedure. The mean serum level of alpha fetoprotein was significantly higher in hepatitis B seropositive subjects compared with the control (P<0.05). The same pattern was observed when the mean serum activity of GGT of the hepatitis B seropositive subjects was compared with that of the control (P<0.05). Furthermore, the mean serum level of AFP and the mean serum GGT activity were significantly higher in hepatitis C seropositive individuals compared with the control (P<0.05). In contrast, no significant difference was observed in the mean serum levels of alpha fetoprotein in hepatitis B seropositive individuals compared with that of hepatitis C seropositive subjects (P>0.05). A positive correlation existed between AFP levels and GGT activity in hepatitis B seropositive subjects (r=0.31) and between AFP levels and GGT activity in hepatitis C seropositive subjects (r=0.25). These findings suggest that evaluation of serum alpha fetoprotein levels and gamma glutamyl transferase activity may be a valuable adjunct in the assessment of disease progression in hepatitis B and hepatitis C seropositive individuals. Keywords: Hepatitis, alpha fetoprotein, glatamyl transferase, disease progression

African Identity: the Nature-culture Perspective

The paper examines the loss of African identity within the modern/ contemporary era. African identity has been a recurrent theme in all domains of African studies, serving as a major intellectual concern of many African scholars. Debates on the reality of African Philosophy are anchored on the questions surrounding African identity giving rise to thoughts and contents of that philosophy. Despite the volumes already generated on the theme, the controversial circumstances that engendered the subject of African identity makes its intellectual concern sustainable and almost inexhaustible. The question of African identity is basically an ontological question of the reality of Africa cum the being of an African. The series of infiltration and appraisals of Africa by foreign elements tend to plunge the continent into crises of identity. In addition to the various approaches to the subject, the nature-culture perspective presents the argument that if culture is ideally the product of a people’s nature, African culture represents the objective manifestation of the Africanity of the continent and its organic/holistic content. Such frame of thought embellished with philosophic tools provides further locus for a more feasible and stable definition of African identity as the holistic nature and character of being African

A hermeneutic of Luther’s principle of nonviolence vis-à-vis the challenges of insecurity in Nigeria

Security of lives and property is a fundamental obligation the State owes her citizen. States are aware of this responsibility but sometimes renege against it or even take actions that result in insecurity. The citizens are also aware of this responsibility of the State. More importantly, they are aware that it is part of their civic duties to ensure the security of lives and property within the State. However, at times due to forces like poverty, unemployment, bad government policies, etc, citizens themselves indulge in activities that undermine the security of their country. They resort to violence as means of venting their frustration at their leaders. The result is anarchy, social, political and economic collapse. This article studies Martin Luther King Jr’s principle of nonviolence. It identifies Racism, poverty, and militarism, factors Luther described as the “Triple Evils that form violence,” as the predisposing factors catalyzing insecurity in Nigeria. It interprets the forces behind the insecurity challenges in Nigeria in the light of Luther’s postulations and posits Luther’s six principles of nonviolence as the path toward resolving the mounting security challenges in Nigeria. The article concludes that Nigerian State actors must favour dialogue against the use of excessive military might while dealing with internal security situations, provide employment and food security, and ensure regional equality and justice for all citizens at all times; if the country is to surmount her rising insecurity crises

Influences of John Locke and John Rawls in shaping Robert Nozick’s Entitlement theory of justice

Robert Nozick’s Entitlement Theory of Justice was captured in his book Anarchy, State and Utopia. This book became widely celebrated in 1975 and won for itself, the US National Book Award in the category of Philosophy and Religion. It has been translated into eleven different languages and named one of the hundred most influential books between 1945 and 1995. This theory of justice actually has a heritage, it has a stem, and what influenced it. For everything, there is a cause and effect, no one speaks from nowhere. Consequently, using analysis as a method in philosophy, this paper would break into its constituent parts, the various postulations by John Locke and John Rawls respectively which form the background for Robert Nozick’s Entitlement Theory of Justice. The paper found out that Robert’s theory is a property right based theory and has a heritage from John Locke’s defence of private property. It has another influence in the form of a reaction from John Rawls difference principle. These two thoughts from Locke and Rawls actually formed the spring board from which the Entitlement Theory of Justice Emanated. John Locke gave the premise on how to become entitled to a property while John Rawls demonstrated on the distribution of entitlement in his distributive justice

Higher education and general studies in Nigeria: A philosophical investigation

A critical look at Nigeria’s national policy on education on tertiary or higher education reveals a startling chasm of gap between the goals of the policy through General Studies Programme and their expected actualizations. This problem, that is, the chasm of gap, is owned to the maladministration and immoral conducts of the people to whom the students are under their influence directly or indirectly. It is the effects of these chasms of gap that have resulted largely in unemployable youths in Nigeria’s labour market per se, youth’s restiveness and so many other ills that go with it. In this study, through the philosophical method of critical analysis, the researchers are poised to offer competent administration born of patriotism and good moral conducts on the part of higher institutions’ hierarchies as valuable ideas that will bridge the existing gap between the goals of the policy and their expected actualizations, and as such, yield the desired results.Keywords: General Studies, Nigeria, National Policy, Educatio