Unlike mainstream Western ethics, African environmental ethics recognizes the interconnectedness and interdependence of all beings than individuality of being. This implies that Africans have often lived in peace and harmony with nature, realizing that the environment is keyed to life and that everything possesses intrinsic value. It is on the strength of the prevailing observations that this paper is geared toward unraveling African philosophy of environment and in the process argued that Africans indeed do have a philosophy of environment due to their respect and oneness to both the living and nonliving components within the ecosystem. This paper employs the method of exposition, critical analysis as well as argumentation to prove that indeed, Africans have good intentions of taking care of the environment and not abuse it. This is evident in some of their cultural heritage where during some planting seasons, some lands are left fallow for some years to avoid excessive use that leads to erosion, also, many forests and groves are tagged ‘taboo’ to scare away people in order to preserve them as well as the other non-humans beings in the forest.

Towards an African Philosophy of Environment

1264837

English

a:3:{i:0;s:7:"African";i:1;s:20:"Environmental Ethics";i:2;s:16:"African Ontology";}

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African societies are becoming aware of the shortcomings of Western capitalist value system, because of its aftermath on individual, society, and environment. Many of African conservationist values, moral attitudes and ways of life have been destroyed by the exploitative capitalist ethos of European colonialism and modernity. Three decades of African countries trying to build their economies like the Western models have left her people wallowing in poverty, and her environment exposed to hazards. With this new imbibed Western values, Africa population will continue to rise, as well as innovation in science and technology, thus, there is a growing need to put adequate measures in place against further environmental degradation. This paper tends to show the ethical implication of environmental crises on African societies. It concludes with the need for Africans to jettison western anthropocentric, capitalist and individualist value for her communal value. This paper further acknowledges that due to modernity, African value systems such as taboo and totems are being outdated. This paper proposed that scientific methods of environmental conservation and Christian ethics in the spirit of African communitarianism can go a long way in curbing ecological problems within the continent. This work is carried out with the philosophical method of analysis and exposition.

Ethical Implication of Environmental Crises on African Societies A Challenge to Future Humanity.

1264850

a:4:{i:0;s:11:"Environment";i:1;s:20:"Environmental Ethics";i:2;s:6:"Africa";i:3;s:20:"Environmental Crisis";}

This work is an examination of Peter Singer’s notion of speciesism: case for animal rights in Ejagham culture. It primarily deals with an evaluation of the phenomenon of Animal rights from the standpoint of Peter Singer’s notion of speciesism. Singer’s notion of speciesism deals with the moral obligation humans owe to animals as against the bias or prejudice that human animals have greater moral worth than non-human animals. Most opponents of speciesism contends that, animals are not members of the moral community as such humans have no moral obligation to them. Contrary to this view, proponents of speciesism argue that animals are capable of suffering and should be considered morally. Thus, the emphasis here is that just like many societies of the world, the Ejagham people are guilty of speciesism. Among the several ways by which speciesism is practiced, this work identifies hunting, deforestation, bush burning and fishing as ways by which the Ejagham people are guilty. Using the tool of critical analysis, evaluation and prescription, this work submits that animals have interest, as such, should be granted rights.

Singer’s Notion of Speciesism: A Case for Animal Rights in Ejagham Culture

1269107

a:5:{i:0;s:10:"Speciesism";i:1;s:6:"Rights";i:2;s:7:"Animals";i:3;s:7:"Ejagham";i:4;s:5:"Moral";}

The world's attention has been drawn towards the urgent need for the preservation and maintenance of the environment as it is faced with the daunting phenomena called Global Warming and Environmental Degradation. The urgency for dealing with this situation is very much needed in Africa. This recent global challenge demands that everybody has to work together in checking the looming and preventable environmental disaster. In this light therefore, this paper attempts to bring to the fore some potentials that children as integral part of African society have to become environmentalists for the benefit of the present and future environmental preservation and development. Involving African children in environmental protection and development projects is a mission towards ensuring environmental development and sustainability. This paper frowns at the belief that African children are minors and therefore, should be left out of what is termed by adults as ‘serious issues’. It argues that African children are symbols of the future in every society; therefore, any society that leaves them out of development issues is visionless. The germane concern of this paper is to explicate the pedagogy of how African children can be factored into veritable tools for environmental maintenance and sustainability via the learning by drama approach of Theatre for Development. One major finding in this research is that children can learn, understand, and appreciate intellectual issues concerning their environment, its preservation and protection. Children also demonstrated their potentials to impart knowledge about their environment to other children.

Training Children Environmentalists in Africa: The Learning by Drama Method

1269115

a:8:{i:0;s:11:"Sustainable";i:1;s:11:"Environment";i:2;s:11:"Degradation";i:3;s:8:"Children";i:4;s:5:"Drama";i:5;s:16:"Environmentalist";i:6;s:12:"Preservation";i:7;s:6:"Africa";}

The purpose of this study is to scrutinize Enyimba’s theory of Madukakism as a philosophy of being human within the African framework and to show its implication to African environmental ethics. Enyimba’s theory Madukakism as a philosophy of being human is founded on the notion of Madukaku. Drawn from the Igbo ontological worldview, Madukaku avers that “man is supreme”, as such, possess strong anthropocentric implication on African worldview. Enyimba Maduka’s position seems logical as it draws its inspiration from the place of humans in the ecosystem and African ontology. This paper argues that although human occupies a central position to preserve, care and tend nature for the unity and balance of the ontology and ecosystem, it is perceived as anthropoholism. It is anthro-poholism because, despite man’s central role (Anthropo), man is just a part of the (whole) environment, as such cannot exist outside the environment, and cannot be understood without allusion to the environment (Holism). This research is carried out with the philosophical method of analysis.

Enyimba’s Notion of Madukaku and The Question of Anthropocentricism In African Environmental Ethics

1269126

a:5:{i:0;s:8:"Madukaku";i:1;s:10:"Madukakism";i:2;s:15:"anthropocentric";i:3;s:13:"communitarian";i:4;s:14:"anthropoholism";}

This paper on “Outlines of the Environmental Ethics of the Ofutop People” posits that there is a latent conservation ethic in the cultural beliefs and practices of the Ofutop tribe of Ikom Local Government Area of Cross River State, Nigeria. Taboos, totems, and religious regulations featured prominently in this ecological model and these practices helped the conservation of the environment even though the aim was not ecocentric from the onset. It is argued here that this shortcoming can be remedied by making the practices more ecocentric than anthropocentric but leaving the practices as an indigenous means of environmental conservation. This paper adopted an expository and analytic approach in highlighting the environmental conservation practices of the Ofutop people especially in relationship with modern theories of environmental ethics.

Outlines of the Environmental Ethics of the Ofutop People

1269129

a:4:{i:0;s:11:"Environment";i:1;s:12:"Conservation";i:2;s:5:"Taboo";i:3;s:5:"Totem";}

The paper, Some Indigenous Solutions to African Environmental Problems: An Appraisal, was written to examine the relevance of African Environmental Philosophies to addressing African environmental problems. African environmental problems include: water pollution, air pollution, land pollution, climate change, flood and many more. Researchers have shown that these problems are caused by phenomena like coal mining, nuclear waste, deforestation, overfishing, wars, and industrial agriculture soil waste pollution. It is a known fact that attempts have been made over the years to resolve these problems, with pockets of successes, yet more needs to be done. Nigeria’s Niger Delta Development Commission, Kenya’s Biosafty Act 2009, The National Environment Policy of Ghana, Oil Pipeline Act 2004, Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection Act 2004 are a good example of such attempts with pockets of successes and challenges. This work used the methods of rational speculation and critical analysis to examine aboriginal approaches to resolving African environmental challenges as recorded in Mark Omorovie Ikeke’s Philosophical Consciences, Caroline N. Mbonu’s Ecospiritualism, Thaddeus Metz’s Model Relationalism, and Chimakonam Jonathan Okeke’s Ohanifism. This work charged African environmental policymakers, Lecturers, and Students with the responsibility to understand and apply the theoretical foundation for sustainable living as recorded in the above philosophies. There is a time when Africans must use indigenous African methods and principles to proffer solutions to African environmental problems. That time is now!

Some Indigenous Solutions to African Environmental Problems: An Appraisal

1269140

a:4:{i:0;s:11:"Environment";i:1;s:20:"Indigenous Solutions";i:2;s:5:"Taboo";i:3;s:5:"Totem";}

The negative effect of human’s exploitative activities on the non-human aspects of the environment has become increasingly alarming. There is an ever growing need for the development and subsequent sustenance of the virtues of our environment. Mankind and other elements of the environment need each other in order to attain this all important environmental vision. Hence, this paper uses the Igbo maxim “Egbe bere ugo bere” as a springboard to articulate a philosophy of environmental conservation that is succinct and enduring in its effort to broker equilibrium between humans and other elements of the environment. It emphasizes the point that any of humans or other elements of the environment that refuses to accommodate the other will as a matter of necessity suffer the consequences. Employing the methods of critical analysis, conversational thinking, conceptual analysis and deduction, the paper demonstrates the fact that aspects of the environment beside humans need to be given the opportunity not only to exist, but also to live and fulfill the essence of their being. It is a call for sustainable development of the environment through a symbiotic interaction between humans and other elements of the environment.

Environmental Sustainability and Development in Africa: An “Egbe bere ugo bere” Approach.

1269149

a:5:{i:0;s:11:"Environment";i:1;s:14:"Sustainability";i:2;s:11:"Development";i:3;s:18:"Egbe bere ugo bere";i:4;s:50:"Environmental elements and Environmental resources";}

Ever since nonhuman entity along with the environment became a major ethical issue, anthropocentric worldviews have been blamed for all that is morally wrong about our dealings with nature. Those who regard themselves as non-anthropocentrists/ holistic scholars typically assume that the West’s anthropocentric axiologies and ontologies instigate all of the environmental degradations associated with human species. In contrast, a handful of environmental philosophers aver that anthropocentrism is entirely acceptable as a foundation for environmental ethics as human’s perspective cannot be entirely removed from the decision-making process. They often argue that it is possible for the man to act responsibly towards the environment for humanity and its future generation. Thus, there is an ever-present tension between anthropocentrism and holism, with each side trying to dominate each other. In my opinion, these extreme views are lump sided, as such lack room for tolerance. The thrust of this paper is to bridge the gap between these ethical theories with the theory of ‘anthropoholism’. Anthropoholism is a thesis in environmental ethics that acknowledges man (anthropo) values, role in the ecosystem as well as the ontology, but argues that despite this position, man is just a part of nature, such that he cannot exist independently of the environment, or can he be understood without reference to the environment. With this, the theory of anthropoholism is able to bridge the gap between the two extreme views by explaining the connection between them. With the philosophical method of exposition and critical analysis, this work is carried out.

‘Anthropoholism’ As An Authentic Tool For Environmental Management

1269158

a:4:{i:0;s:18:"Anthropocentricism";i:1;s:14:"Anthropoholism";i:2;s:19:"African Communalism";i:3;s:11:"Environment";}

African ontological discourse revolves around a few principles, the interrelatedness of being, what is variously interpreted as communalism, ubuntu, Holism, communitarianism etc. This is the view that every being in the world, animate and inanimate are interconnected into a whole. This makes it possible for African environmental attitude to claim to be holistic. Since we are one, we care for each other, humans care for animals, plants, and mountains not because of what to gain from them but because we are the same and harming the river is same as harming oneself. The weakness of seeing African environmental ethics as only holistic is that it is not African enough as the paper will argue. The second principle in African ontological discourse is the human being. This principle has made scholars like Callicott and even some African scholars to describe African environmental ethics as anthropocentric. The paper also argues that branding African environmental ethics anthropocentric is not African enough. This is because Africans live in an interconnected world, comprising both the living, the dead and nature. Humans are only one privileged part of the whole and this is because of her obligatory role to nature and the world as a result of her capabilities. Through the method of analysis, the paper argues that a plausible African environmental ethics will be one that will blend the holistic nature of the African ontology and its pride of place given to humans. It will be discovered that obligatory anthropoholism can comfortably blend these two principles without necessarily being anthropocentric.

An Investigation of Obligatory Anthropoholism as Plausible African Environmental Ethics

1269178

a:3:{i:0;s:16:"African ontology";i:1;s:28:"African environmental Ethics";i:2;s:25:"Obligatory Anthropoholism";}

The activities of man and other beings on a daily basis has been the primordial antecedence for the negative changes experienced in the environment today. Nature in its rudimentary state was harmless and friendly to man and its inhabitants. But owing to the egocentric approaches of man towards the environment, fundamentally for the purpose of earning a living and advancing development, man manipulates every available resources to his favor including the environment. These egomaniacal demeanor has propelled the once harmless nature to react against human beings, causing socio-economic and psychological damages. Climate change to this end has been defined as a change in oceans, land surfaces and ice sheets occurring overtime scales of decades or longer. It expresses itself in the evidence differentiation from the usual sun radiation, volcanoes, internal virility in climate system or human system. The twenty first century is facing the boomerang of the human seeds sown on the climate. It becomes imperative for Africans to align with the rest of the world in fashioning out an approach to tackle climate change and other related environmental issues, and curb the present and predicted damages. To this end the paper proposes Innocent Asouzu’s complementary Noetic Propaedeutic principle as the viable prognosis towards fostering environmental peace, mutual co-existence with all other beings within the horizon to bring about climate change. The paper explores the philosophical methods of analysis and prescription in its research.

Volume 2 Issue 3

Towards an African Philosophy of Environment

Ethical Implication of Environmental Crises on African Societies A Challenge to Future Humanity.

Singer’s Notion of Speciesism: A Case for Animal Rights in Ejagham Culture

Training Children Environmentalists in Africa: The Learning by Drama Method

Enyimba’s Notion of Madukaku and The Question of Anthropocentricism In African Environmental Ethics

Outlines of the Environmental Ethics of the Ofutop People

Some Indigenous Solutions to African Environmental Problems: An Appraisal

Environmental Sustainability and Development in Africa: An “Egbe bere ugo bere” Approach.

‘Anthropoholism’ As An Authentic Tool For Environmental Management

An Investigation of Obligatory Anthropoholism as Plausible African Environmental Ethics

Ibuanyidanda Neotic Propaedeutic Principle as an Afrocentric Environmental Prognosis to the Problems of Climate Change in the Twenty First Century

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