Human actions and conduct have both positive and negative effects on humankind and its environment. This is why ethicists have propounded different theories that are supposed to guide peoples’ conduct in order to distinguish the right from the wrong. Environmental ethics as an aspect of environmental philosophy attempts a justification of the rightness and wrongness of human activities as they affect other non-human members of the society or environment. Despite the efforts of both ethicists and environmentalist, humans have continued to conduct themselves in a manner, most unhealthy to the environmental resources. This is the problematic that informed this research on “Ethics, Environment and Philosophy: Towards Sustainable Development in Africa”. The main objective is to apply selected ethical theories to the philosophical study of environment in order to ascertain their implications for sustainable development in Africa. To achieve this goal, philosophical methods of critical analysis, conceptual clarification and deduction were employed in the examination and exposition of the nature and tenets of the following selected ethical theories: Platonism, Hedonism, Subjectivism, Teleologism and Deontologism. It was discovered upon application that, these theories present both positive and negative implication for environment, philosophy and development. Hence, humans must be positively minded whenever they undertake any action be it from the perspective of Platonists, Hedonists, Subjectivists, Teleologists or Deontologists. If there must be development and sustainability in the environment, then the positive aspects of each of these theories must be harnessed to yield what this paper describes as environmental eclecticism. Keywords: Ethical Theories, Environment, Philosophy, Sustainable Development, Environmental Eclecticism.
Historically, Nigeria as a socio-political formation has experienced and still experiencing about 21 years of uninterrupted democratic rule since the civilian takeover of leadership through the ballot box from the military in May 1999. All over the world, civilian or democratic leadership is remarkable for its freedom of expression/speech, rule of law, quality leadership through the provision of infrastructure, health care facilities, quality education and other social amenities. This paper which shall use analytic, expository and rational methods argued that poor leadership, in appropriate policies and pursuit of personal drives have denied the masses the benefit of good leadership and governance. The paper argues further that absence of leadership credentials and rationality have further placed Nigeria on a cross road thereby making it unable to take appropriate steps in combating the novel coronavirus pandemic. Leadership ineptitudeness, political and financial rascality, corruption and high –level ethnic and religious profligacy have denied the people adequate development of education and health sector, which made it difficult for Nigeria to respond positively in the fight against coronavirus. The paper concludes, that consistent and pragmatic elimination/erosion of ethno-religious, linguistic and cultural boundaries from our consciousness will birth into positive mental restructuring of the leadership class that will navigate into a process of positive direction that will make Nigeria to respond positively towards finding solution to problems rather than depending on the west, development of home grown medicine remains a combative therapy in a hopeless situation such as this 2020 global living. Keywords: Poverty, Coronavirus, Leadership, Sustainable, Development
Arguably, prominent scholars in the ancient, medieval, modern and contemporary periods in human existence had argued to the conclusion that no one is self sufficient, implying that everyone at anytime needs the cooperation of everyone for the continuous existence of life. The advancement of this cooperation and its sustenance by people of diverse culture, religions, languages, ethnic and socio-political backgrounds may result to disagreement and other violent dispositions which act, if not checkmated could cause monumental disruptions, economic collapse and inter and intra ethnic clashes. The necessity of human existence cannot be over emphasized as this would ensure political and economic prosperity of a nation state such as Nigeria. It is in the light of ensuring convivial atmosphere, balanced and valid socio-cultural fraternity and inarguable insufficiency of human wants that it becomes moral and utilitarian for leaders of state and organization to utilize the facilities of alternative dispute, for resolution of conflicts and disagreement that may arise in the cause of their private and public relationships. The morality of alternative dispute resolution is hinged on inelastic protection of parties from public knowledge, economic value and peaceful and transparent restoration of confidence in friendship.
The media are like a two-edged sword; it could built, it could also destroy. It has the capacity to increase the virtue level of a society; it also has an equal capacity to increase the vices of the society. From surveys it appears to these writers that, the media at present is wielding its vicious powers more. An increase in cases of homicides, terrorism, crime, violence and other social ills in the world is a clear testimony to this assertion. Since the state or the government exists to produce virtues in the citizens, it is imperative that the government takes serious steps to curb the dysfunctional effects of the media on the citizens and the society at large. The government should not be left alone to do this, the religious leaders, physicians, psychologists, philosophers, parents and the media practitioners themselves need to contribute their quota to evolve a media of our dreams -a media that would yield positive and beneficial fruits to the society. The media should be an instrument aimed at shaping the lives of the youth and the society. As an educative, instructive, didactic and healing therapeutic facility, the negatives associated with the media should be avoided by aspiring to embrace the positive effects of their relevance.
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