1st Edition

Philosophy and National Development in Nigeria Towards a Tradition of Nigerian Philosophy

By Adeshina Afolayan Copyright 2018
    192 Pages
    by Routledge

    192 Pages
    by Routledge

    What does it imply for Nigerian philosophers to conscientiously and engagingly reflect on Nigeria as a place of philosophy and as a dynamic plural context of socioeconomic, political, cultural and ethnic problems? Any answer to this question automatically constitutes the opening salvo to the reflection on the evolution of a Nigerian tradition of philosophy and philosophizing. This book represents such an initial salvo in in its attempt to hammer out the conditions for the possibility of a Nigerian tradition of philosophy by placing that endeavor in between the triadic challenges of the Nigerian political economy, the African philosophical theorizing and the global epistemological hegemony. How do these three dynamics condition the evolution and functional relevance of the philosophical enterprise in Nigeria? How have Nigerian philosophers responded to them? What is Nigerian philosophy? How can there be a "Nigerian" philosophy when there are no Nigerians? This book is also an attempt to contribute to the trajectory of philosophy education in Nigeria within the context of a postcolonial educational system and university dynamics that stultifies the role of the intellectuals in development.



    From Plato to Wiredu, from Bodunrin to Bourdieu, and from Heidegger and Nietzsche to Fanon, Mignolo and Santos, the book traces a trajectory of dynamics rethinking of existing paradigms and epistemological assumptions that could enable a robust evolution of a Nigerian tradition of philosophy that possesses sufficient clout to confront its historicity and its place in Nigeria’s development impasse.

    Dedication



    Preface & Acknowledgements





    Introduction





    Chapter One



    The Incidence of Philosophy in Nigeria



    Chapter Two



    The Homo Academicus Nigerianus





    Chapter Three



    The Nigerian State Encounters Philosophy





    Chapter Four



    Western Epistemology and Popular Epistemologies





    Chapter Five



    Nigerian Philosophy without Nigerians? Tradition, Philosophy, and Plurality





    Chapter Six



    The National Character of Philosophy





    Chapter Seven



    Philosophy and the Idea of Thinking





    Chapter Eight



    Bios Theoretikos /Bios Politikos: Theory, Practice, and the Challenges of a Nigerian Tradition of Philosophy





    Chapter Nine



    Social Philosophy as Social Hope: Nigerian Philosophy and the Archaeologies of Governance





    Conclusion: Envisioning Nigeria: Towards Postmetaphysical Nigerian Philosophy



    Biography

    Adeshina Afolayan is a Lecturer at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria.