Empirikalizem: moderna filozofska misel

African thought is frequently said to be concrete rather than abstract. This is, at best, only a half truth. Africans do express abstractions to all necessary extent. However – and this is the half that is true – they express abstractions usually by means of gerunds rather than abstract nouns. My claim is that African thought, or at least the thought of the Akans of Ghana, the ethnic group to which the author belongs, is empirical in cast, and that the gerundive manner of expression is of a piece with that outlook. The underlying principle of this outlook is that no concept is admissible unless it is ultimately derivable from sense experience. I call this principle and its applications empiricalism. In the discussion below, I defend it and distinguish it from empiricism, which, although basically including the principle in question, also carries a sensationalistic component that is, from an African point of view, incoherent. This comparison opens up vistas of intercultural dialogue.Za afriško miselno dejavnost je bilo že velikokrat rečeno, da je bolj konkretne kot abstraktne narave. To je v najboljšem primeru polresnica. Afričani izražajo abstrakcije prav v tolikšni meri, kolikor je to potrebno. Vendar pa ponavadi – in to je tisti del polresnice, ki drži – abstraktne pojme pogosteje izražajo z glagolniki kot pa z abstraktnimi samostalniki. Moje stališče je, da je afriška misel ali vsaj misel Akanov iz Gane, etnične skupine, ki ji avtor tega članka pripada, empirična le po obliki in da je način izražanja s pomočjo glagolnikov konsistenten s takim pogledom. Osnovno ačelo tega pogleda je, da noben pojem ni sprejemljiv, če nazadnje na neki način ne izvira iz zaznavnega izkustva. To načelo in njegove aplikacije sem poimenoval empirikalizem, ki ga v pričujoči razpravi zagovarjam in hkrati ostro ločujem od empirizma, ki – čeravno zajema prav to načelo – vsebuje tudi senzualistično komponento, le-ta pa z afriškim primerom nima nič skupnega. Pričujoča primerjava odpira različne poglede na medkulturni dialog

An Ad-Hoc Crime Reporting Information Management System

Criminals often escape punishment due to delayed sharing of information with law enforcement agencies. The traditional method of reporting crimes is slow, thus, the need for a faster and modern approach, one that uses modern technology to apprehend perpetrators. It is therefore important to have a well-organized system for reporting criminal activities. This system should be free and easily accessible to the public. With information being delivered promptly and remotely, there is no need for visits to police stations, which can be time-consuming and tedious. This project aims to curb criminal activities by developing a smartphone application that enables victims or witnesses to report real-time information to security agencies, including GPS coordinates. The use of real-time data would prompt quick responses in emergency situations and make reactions proactive rather than reactive. The proposed methodology for the project involves designing and developing a user-friendly mobile app as well as a professional web application for security agencies. The creation of an integration platform allows for the registration of police stations and staff members. Feedback from users would help maintain and improve upon the app. Ultimately, this project aims at increasing public safety and improving crime reporting and management in Ghana by using modern technologies. By enabling citizens to report crimes in real-time, the mobile application has the potential to revolutionize crime reporting and foster a safer and secure environment. By collaborating with law enforcement agencies, the proposed solution can help provide a more efficient and proactive crime reporting system in Ghana.     &nbsp

Susceptibility pattern of uropathogens to ciprofloxacin at the Ghana police hospital

Introduction: Reports of increasing resistance of uropathogens to antimicrobials is of global concern. Culture and drug susceptibility tests remain a vital guide to effective therapy. The aim of this study was to determine the susceptibility pattern of isolated uropathogens to ciprofloxacin at the Ghana Police Hospital. Methods: A total of 705 mid-stream urine samples were collected from patients suspected of having  urinary tract infection, and visited the Ghana Police Hospital's laboratory from December 2013 to March  2014. Samples were cultured and isolates identified by standard methods, after which isolates  susceptibility to ciprofloxacin was determined. Results: Prevalence of urinary tract infection among patients' whose samples were analyzed was 15.9%. Predominant uropathogens isolated were E .coli (46.4%), Coliform (41.1%) and Coliform spp. with Candida (6.2%). Other isolates were Pseudomonas spp. (2.7%), Salmonella spp. (1.8%), Candida spp. (0.9%) and Klebsiella spp (0.9%). The overall resistance among the top three isolated uropathogens to ciprofloxacin was 35.9%. Resistance pattern demonstrated by  respective isolates to ciprofloxacin were: E. coli (38.5%), Coliform (54.3%), and Coliform spp. with Candida (15%). The other isolates showed 100% sensitivity.Conclusion: This study revealed a relatively high ciprofloxacin resistance among isolated uropathogens,  hence, the need for prudent prescribing and use of  ciprofloxacin in urinary tract infection management.Key words: Urinary tract infection, isolates, susceptibility, antibiotics, uropathogen

Democracy by Consensus: Some Conceptual Considerations

Democracy as a political system entailing multi-party competition for power is only one form of democracy. Given that democracy is government by consent, the question is whether a less adversarial system than the party system, which is bound up with majoritarian decision-making, cannot be devised. This paper contends that a system based on consensus as a decision procedure would be a democracy of just such a description. It is important to note that the kind of consensus envisaged here is not agreement regarding questions of truth and morality; it is concerned only with the question of what is to be done. And it is an important fact that reasonable human beings can come to an agreement about what is to be done by virtue of compromise without agreeing on issues of truth or morality. A consensual system will naturally be a non-party arrangement. However, as I explain, such a polity need not be one without parties