Tayo R E Eegunlusi
Eegunlusi holds B.A, M.A. and PhD degrees in
Philosophy and has taught Philosophy in the university
environment since 2000, both as a part time Lecturer at
the Langtang Outreach Centre of Ambrose Alli
University, Ekpoma, and as a Lecturer at the Federal
University of Technology, Akure. His enjoys engaging
argumentation, logical reasoning and historical analysis
as methods of doing philosophy. Over the years, his
research works have focused on Social and Political
Philosophy, Ethics and Philosophy of the Global
Economy. Adopting ethical, conceptual, logical, cultural,
historical and empirical perspectives to discourses, he
has engaged in critical dialogues and made important
contributions in these areas. He is equally currently
opening up new grounds in ethics and social and
political philosophy to critically examine and evaluate
the issues involved in the interface between ethics,
scientific and technological reasonings, most especially
as far as emerging trends in human and environmental
technologies are concerned. He sees this task as a
way of addressing the ethical, economic and socio-
political problems in human societies. Apart from core
academic pursuits in teaching and research, he is also
involved in an initiative for global peace, which stirs
him to carry out community development services and
deliver seminar and workshop papers towards
promoting effective organisational and governmental
leaderships, with the mindset of imparting knowledge
about crucial ethical virtues and values for human and
societal development.
Philosophy and has taught Philosophy in the university
environment since 2000, both as a part time Lecturer at
the Langtang Outreach Centre of Ambrose Alli
University, Ekpoma, and as a Lecturer at the Federal
University of Technology, Akure. His enjoys engaging
argumentation, logical reasoning and historical analysis
as methods of doing philosophy. Over the years, his
research works have focused on Social and Political
Philosophy, Ethics and Philosophy of the Global
Economy. Adopting ethical, conceptual, logical, cultural,
historical and empirical perspectives to discourses, he
has engaged in critical dialogues and made important
contributions in these areas. He is equally currently
opening up new grounds in ethics and social and
political philosophy to critically examine and evaluate
the issues involved in the interface between ethics,
scientific and technological reasonings, most especially
as far as emerging trends in human and environmental
technologies are concerned. He sees this task as a
way of addressing the ethical, economic and socio-
political problems in human societies. Apart from core
academic pursuits in teaching and research, he is also
involved in an initiative for global peace, which stirs
him to carry out community development services and
deliver seminar and workshop papers towards
promoting effective organisational and governmental
leaderships, with the mindset of imparting knowledge
about crucial ethical virtues and values for human and
societal development.
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Papers by Tayo R E Eegunlusi
the nation's oil-dependent mono-economy and corporate existence. The Delta region's crises
caused loss of lives and properties until government granted amnesty to her militants and
created the Niger Delta Ministry to take care of the peoples' agitations. While these measures
have yielded some positive results, the peace in the region is marred by a resurgence of
violence through activities of aggrieved militant groups that unleashed terror on the Delta
communities and vandalised pipelines as they expressed dissatisfaction with the Nigerian
state and the Multinational Oil Corporations. As it re-examines the immediate and remote
causes of the crises, the paper adopts the methods of historical and conceptual analyses to
argue for stakeholder's commitment to ethics of civility as the lasting solution. Thus,
identifying social egoism as the basis of the Niger Delta crises, it argues that ethics of civility,
which it perceives as the commitment to the well-being of the self, others and the environment
without neglecting future generations, is a way of addressing the Niger Delta crises. By
construing social egoism as the tendency of a group to act to protect its interests, it debates
that the pursuit of group-interest devoid of concomitant consideration for existing and
potential (future) generations, and the environment, would continue to impact negatively on
crises resolution efforts and impede national peaceful co-existence if not properly addressed.
Keywords: Violent conflicts, Social egoism, Ethics of civility, Government, Multinational
Oil Corporations, Stakeholders.
the nation's oil-dependent mono-economy and corporate existence. The Delta region's crises
caused loss of lives and properties until government granted amnesty to her militants and
created the Niger Delta Ministry to take care of the peoples' agitations. While these measures
have yielded some positive results, the peace in the region is marred by a resurgence of
violence through activities of aggrieved militant groups that unleashed terror on the Delta
communities and vandalised pipelines as they expressed dissatisfaction with the Nigerian
state and the Multinational Oil Corporations. As it re-examines the immediate and remote
causes of the crises, the paper adopts the methods of historical and conceptual analyses to
argue for stakeholder's commitment to ethics of civility as the lasting solution. Thus,
identifying social egoism as the basis of the Niger Delta crises, it argues that ethics of civility,
which it perceives as the commitment to the well-being of the self, others and the environment
without neglecting future generations, is a way of addressing the Niger Delta crises. By
construing social egoism as the tendency of a group to act to protect its interests, it debates
that the pursuit of group-interest devoid of concomitant consideration for existing and
potential (future) generations, and the environment, would continue to impact negatively on
crises resolution efforts and impede national peaceful co-existence if not properly addressed.
Keywords: Violent conflicts, Social egoism, Ethics of civility, Government, Multinational
Oil Corporations, Stakeholders.
realisation of human welfare in the Global Capitalist Economy (GCE), understood as
an aggregate of the economic interrelations among all nations of the world. Studies
that addressed the inadequacies of the GCE in the pursuit of human welfare focused
largely on the socio-political and economic dimensions to the problem without paying
sufficient attention to its moral foundation, located in the principle of Moral Egoism
(ME). This study, therefore, proffered Enlightened Self-interest (ESi) as a more viable
moral foundation that would render the GCE more beneficial to all its stakeholders.
The study adopted Adam Smith‘s theory of impartiality and John Rawls‘ theory of
original position, both of which affirmed that individual interest is best pursued when
adequate attention is given to others‘ interest. Seven texts in moral philosophy,
including Adam Smith‘s A Theory of Moral Sentiments (TMS), John Rawls‘ A Theory
of Justice (TJ) and Moses Oke‘s Self-interest as the Ground of Moral Obligation
(SGMO), and six in political economy, including Adam Smith‘s The Wealth of
Nations (WN), Joseph Stiglitz‘s Globalization and Its Discontents (GD) and Milton
Friedman‘s Capitalism and Freedom (CF), were purposively selected for their
relevance to the moral foundation of the GCE. Conceptual analysis was employed to
clarify key concepts such as ME, GCE, and human welfare. Critical examination was
used to show the inadequacies of ME as the moral foundation of the GCE.
Reconstruction was employed to present ESi as an effective moral principle for
enhancing human welfare in the GCE.
Moral philosophy showed the defects of unbridled pursuit of self-interest and the need
to regulate it by giving adequate consideration to the interest of others (TMS, TJ and
SGMO). Moral Egoism is an inadequate foundational principle if the GCE would
achieve its purpose of enhancing the welfare of all its stakeholders (TMS). The
postulation of an invisible hand does not guarantee widespread welfare of all
stakeholders in the GCE because it stresses that the pursuit of self-interest eventuates
in unintended benefit for the entire society, contrary to human experience (GD).
Alternatively, an adequate foundation is found in a reciprocal, other-regarding
approach to self-interest (TMS and TJ). Economic practices based on ME, which
affirms self-interest as the basis for morality, have not sufficiently facilitated human
welfare despite the promises of the GCE (WN, GD and CF). This is obvious, for
instance, in the widespread global poverty. Critical reflections revealed that by
emphasising morally reciprocal actions, as against ME‘s narrow pursuit of self-
interest, ESi would promote an all-inclusive benefit in the GCE. Enlightened Self-
interest can be propagated through moral education that makes people understand that
their interests can only be effectively achieved if they give adequate consideration to
the interests of others (SGMO).
Moral Egoism‘s narrow perspective to promoting self-interests contrasts Enlightened
Self-interest‘s mutuality of interests for all. Therefore, replacing Moral Egoism with
Enlightened Self-interest can substantially promote the common good of all
stakeholders in the Global Capitalist Economy.
http://80.240.30.238/handle/123456789/9109