Saying it as it is (3)
By Douglas Anele Many Nigerians are wondering why more than three weeks since the current fuel scarcity began nobody has been sanctioned. Maybe what is playing out is the sacred cow syndrome in which certain individuals because of their connections with people in power can do anything and get away with it, which is why […]
The smallest and deadliest terrorist: Reflections on coronavirus (1)
By Douglas Anele The major function of a philosopher, in my opinion, is to shine penetrating bright light on any subject-matter whatsoever, with the aim of providing deep insights about it and, more significantly, bringing into bold relief important lessons derivable from that topic or phenomenon. That is why in analysing any issue, philosophers endeavour […]
The audacity of power and fetishism of due process (2)
By Douglas Anele In the publication by the Vice-Chancellor, “Council received and considered C.P. No. 2019/20/3b, which contained the nominees for honorary doctorate degrees at the 51st convocation ceremonies of the university and the proposed budget estimate.” He informed that in line with the ethos and tradition of the University of Lagos, “the dates and […]
The audacity of power and fetishism of due process (1)
By Douglas Anele For everyone that cherishes the great University of Lagos and what it stands for in terms of swag, upward mobility, production of men and women of substance and character-building, the simmering cold war of attrition between the university’s management and the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman Governing Council, Dr. Bolanle O. Babalakin, is a […]
What is philosophy? (3)
By Douglas Anele In ethics, proposed standards of right or good conduct are thoroughly scrutinised and various ethical theories on offer dissected to determine their strengths, weaknesses, and applicability in real life situations. Of course, it is a grave mistake to think that ethics is a mere academic discipline, for it is of the utmost […]
What is philosophy? (2)
Moving further on the subject matter of philosophy, some prominent logical positivists, notably Rudolf Carnap, maintain that the core function of philosophy is the clarification of language, particularly the language of science. David Papineau submits that the discipline involves “thinking hard about the most difficult problems that there are…[and] requires an untangling of presuppositions: figuring […]
