THE STATE, JUSTICE AND THE COMMON GOOD: AN AFRICAN (NIGERIAN) PERSPECTIVE

Obinna Victor Obiagwu, Dokpesi Timothy Adidi

Abstract


It is the onus of this paper to argue that philosophy is a human activity; and as a human activity it shares in a common humanity with a common problem; but yet these problems have their own peculiarities and uniqueness which might not be addressed in the same way. There are problems that are peculiar to Africans which is different from how the philosophers in Asia, Europe and America will address or view such problems. In so doing, after we have established the need to see African philosophy not as a reaction to Western philosophy but as an academic enterprise to help interrogate the African past as presented to us by the British colonialist using the analytical mind of human thinking and reflection as Africans. This will help to validate or invalidate what is said of Africans and in so doing address the issues of the State, Justice and the Common Good Vis-a-Viz the African (Nigerian) experience.

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