Skip to main content

NELSON SHANG

UNIVERSITY OF BAMENDA - CAMEROON, Philosophy, Faculty Member

Followers

31

Following

21

Co-author

1

Mentions

1

Public Views

Nelson Shang holds a PhD in Philosophy from the University of Dshcang, Cameroon, and lectures at the Higher Teacher Training College, Bambili, of the University of Bamenda and at the Catholic University of Cameroon (CATUC), Bamenda. His research focuses on the metaphysical foundations of education, African Metaphysics and Epistemology as well as Process Philosophy. He is the author of African Metaphysics: An Introduction
Phone: +237 676 247 428
Address: Bamenda, Cameroon

less

Interests

Uploads

Papers by NELSON SHANG

The Opposition between Realism and Non-Justificationism in Karl Popper's Rationality of Science: In Search of the Conditions for the Growth of Knowledge

by Basilis S. Dzelajei and NELSON SHANG

CENTRAL ASIAN JOURNAL OF LITERATURE, PHILOSOPHY AND CULTURE, 2022

This paper situates us within the context of an internal conflict in the Philosophy of Karl Poppe... more This paper situates us within the context of an internal conflict in the Philosophy of Karl Popper. On the one hand, Popper is an ardent proponent of scientific realism-the view that science seeks to formulate true theories that depict the structure of the universe; and on the other hand, the very Karl Popper propounds Non-Justificationism in science-a negativist methodology which asserts that the logic of science seeks not the justification but the refutation of theories. This non-justificationism seems asymmetric to the realist optimistic ambition of justifying the reliability of scientific knowledge. To resolve this tension between realism and nonjustificationism in Popper's epistemology some philosophers have proceeded by revising his method of falsification (Imre Lakatos,), others have opted for a reinterpretation of his realism (Evandro Agazzi, Mario Alai,) while some have given an instrumentalist status to popper's rationality of science (Peter Godfrey-Smith, Anthony O'Hear). Our argument in this Paper is that to resolve the contradiction within Popper's rationality of science we have to situate the two conflicting theses (Realism and non-justicationism) within the general problem of Popper's epistemology. That is, the problem of the conditions necessary for the growth of scientific knowledge. Thus, after examining the basic tenets of Popper's realism and illustrating the levels of the opposition between realism and non-justificationism, we have gone beyond other solutions to defend the conflation of realism and non-justificationism as the condition for the growth of knowledge. Popper thus emerges out of our analysis as a 'critical realist' who rejects 'dogmatic optimism' and creates 'critical optimism' in his evolutionary epistemology.

The Centrality of God in the Process Metaphysics of Alfred North Whitehead: A Critique of the Post-Deistic Era

Since the time Nietzsche declared the death of God, while Auguste Comte postulated in the Law of ... more Since the time Nietzsche declared the death of God, while Auguste Comte postulated in the Law of Three Stages that humankind had gone pass the religious/mythical stage as well as the metaphysical/speculative stage and was now living in the positive/scientific stage, there has been the consistent institutionalization of atheism and secularism. The early part of the 20 century saw Freud’s publication of the Future of an Illusion in which he predicted that as science continues to advance, religion will become obsolete. The logical positivist too lumped up metaphysical and religious propositions as meaningless and nonsensical. It is within this atmosphere that Alfred North Whitehead comes into philosophy. The main question that this paper seeks to answer is: Why does the concept of God occupy an eminent place in Whitehead’s system when all his contemporaries consider God a hypothesis they no longer needed as Laplace had earlier maintained? Of great interest here is the fact that before ...

SECULARISM AND THE RISE OF ISLAMIC TERRORISM IN AFRICA

African Humanities Review, A Multi-Disciplinary Journal, Vol. 2, Number 1, 2016

This paper argues that the emergence and rapid spread of secularism in Africa is one of the rootc... more This paper argues that the emergence and rapid spread of secularism in Africa is one of the rootcauses of the rapid spread of Islamic terrorism on the continent. Many scholars have focused on the political and socioeconomic causes of Islamic terrorism to the neglect of the religious dimension. Yet, while the political and socioeconomic causes are vital, scholars tend to overlook the fact that Islam is a religion that permeates every aspect of the lives of Muslims in public and in private. As such, secularism (which is seen as a way of life that eliminates religion from the public sphere and relegates it to the private sphere) and secular institutions are, for Islamic extremists, to be combated and destroyed at all cost-even through terrorist acts-so as to give religion the pride of place it once occupied on human life. Thus the various terrorist groups in Egypt, Somali, Algeria, Mali, Nigeria and other parts of Africa have one thing in common: a reaction against the secular or western style of life. They attribute the fall in moral standards, materialism and the separation of religion from politics and the public sphere to secularism and the western style of education. But is terrorism a means of fighting secularism? Is it possible that western education is a vehicle of secularism in Africa? Is it possible that social sciences have, for the past sixty years in Africa, been used as a means of westernization? Even if secularism were to be eliminated from Africa will this significantly solve the problem of Islamic terrorism?

THE REALITY OF SECULARISM IN AFRICA AND ITS EFFECTS ON SOME AFRICAN CULTURAL VALUES

BOOK CHAPTER IN Philosophy in Culture: A Cross-Cultural Perspective, Mbih J. Tosam & P. Takov (eds.), Langaa Research Publishing CIG, Bamenda, 2016

Given the many conflicts that characterize contemporary intellectual discourse, the one between s... more Given the many conflicts that characterize contemporary intellectual discourse, the one between secularism and religion is emerging as of the most crucial. Recently, there was in France and Turkey the debate on the laicity of the state; in the United States there was the debate on the theologization of politics; Italy is preoccupied with the debate on the relation between relativism and faith; and last but not the least, there is, in Britain, the rage over the conflict of science and religion ignited by Richard Dwarkins' The God Delusion. This gives the impression that the phenomenon of secularism is solely the concern of the West. Just a few decades ago, Africa was seen as booming with various forms of religions-Christianity, Islam and African Traditional Religion. However, in view of the globalization process, of the power of the mass media, and of the rapidity of urbanization on the continent, it would be strange to believe that it is not already there. The aim of this paper is to discover the various ways in which secular values are at work in the African society, the manner in which they erode or displace religious and cultural values and the danger they pose to the youths of today. We shall equally pause to look at the reality of secularism in the Cameroonian society, particularly at the level of the educational system. Our argument in this paper is neither that religion should be the dominant factor in the society nor that religion should be completely wiped out of the society.

NELSON_SHANG_CURRICULUM_VITAE.

Education as the Development of Human Potentialities in Maria Montessoris Education For A New World

Issoufou Soulé Mouchili Njimom, Ed., “APPROCHES PHILOSOPHIQUES ET SCIENTIFIQUES DE L’HUMAIN”, Ouverture Philosophique, L'Harmattan, 2021

This paper focuses on how building human potentialities in education can enhance learning compete... more This paper focuses on how building human potentialities in education can enhance learning competencies in students for the development of the self and the society. Human potential refers to a possibility human beings are capable of achieving. Montessori believes that the traditional system of education directs students to learn through memorization and recitation techniques and does not lay much emphasis on helping students to bring out their maximum potential. What goal can we attribute to education today? Our focus shall be to answer the questions, what are the favorable conditions under which education can help to build human potentialities? Is Montessori’s view essential in enhancing creativity and building the necessary competencies of the learners in our society today? Education is a natural process carried out by the human individual. It is not what the teacher gives and is not acquired by listening to words but by experiences upon the environment. Montessori opts that education should help the learners develop confidence in their emerging abilities and offer them the opportunity to gain independence in daily tasks. The pedagogic significance of this work serves as a guide for the educational system in Africa and Cameroon in particular. It serves as a guide for curriculum developers and policy makers to bring out programs that will enhance the building of individual competencies for eventual development. Thus Montessori’s idea of education to build human potentialities is indispensible to our educational system today.

SCIENCE AND METAPHYSICS: RUDOLF CARNAP, ALFRED JULES AYER AND MARTIN HEIDEGGER

Mama Come, Ed., Revue Philosophique Bantu, Paris, Les Editions Du Net, 2020

The history of the relationship between science and metaphysics is riddled with controversy. Aris... more The history of the relationship between science and metaphysics is riddled with controversy. Aristotle and his followers see metaphysics as providing the foundations on which science and other human intellectual endeavors build. In opposition to the thoughts of Aristotle, Plato and his followers separate metaphysics from science as independent and unrelated sciences. With the Logical positivists, the debate is a reject of metaphysics in favour of science. Metaphysics then is seen as a pseudo-science. Rudolf Carnap's the "Elimination of Metaphysics through the Logical Analysis of Language" and Alfred Jules Ayer's elimination of metaphysics from the domain of knowledge are examined, while Heidegger is brought in to salvage the situation given that he holds on to the superiority of metaphysics over science.

THE SEPARABILITY OR INSEPARABILITY OF METAPHYSICS FROM MODERN SCIENCE

Issoufou Soulé Mouchili Njimom, Ed., “SCIENCE ET POLITIQUE Réflexions sur des fondements de la dynamique culturelle contemporaine”, 2020

Central to this chapter is a basic philosophical concept of the nature of modern science which ex... more Central to this chapter is a basic philosophical concept of the nature of modern science which exists amongst positivists, like Auguste Comte, who rejects as illegitimate all that cannot be directly observed in the investigation and study of any subject. Our daily experience of the nature of science continues to give us reasons to unlearn what can be considered as prejudices and errors in our conception of the nature of science. Consequently, the question "what is the nature of modern science?" still perplexes us, and the answers we provide to this question often reveal how distorted our vision of history and thought has become over the years. This chapter shall, via the method of critical analysis in philosophy pass through Comte's three stages of arriving at the truth. This approach rejects as non-scientific all that cannot be directly observed in the investigation and study of any subject against Whitehead's approach in which he tries to make a “dispassionate consideration of the nature of things, antecedently to any special investigation into their details”. This is a standpoint Whitehead terms “metaphysical.” This explains why he developed a comprehensive metaphysical system for the understanding of science, society, and self as found in his major texts. In this light, science cannot be done without taking metaphysics into account.

The Value of Metaphysics in the "Post-Metaphysical" Era

International Journal of Humanitatis Theoreticus., 2020

Ever since Hume launched a book-burning campaign against metaphysics, and Kant declared the "end ... more Ever since Hume launched a book-burning campaign against metaphysics, and Kant declared the "end of metaphysics", supported by the Law of Three Stages of Comte and the rejection of metaphysics by the Logical Positivists, we are seen to be living in a post metaphysical era. This paper situates the historical roots of the rejection of metaphysics and then argues forcefully that metaphysics is indispensably relevant in our era. We may theoretically be living after the era of metaphysics, but in practice, in all academic and scientific endeavors, we cannot do without metaphysical presuppositions and assumptions. Those proclaiming the death of metaphysics are in fact valorizing metaphysics since at the base of their arguments are metaphysical principles.

The Centrality of God in the Process Metaphysics of Alfred North Whitehead: A Critique of the Post-Deistic Era

ournal of Arts and Humanities , 2020

Since the time Nietzsche declared the death of God, while Auguste Comte postulated in the Law of ... more Since the time Nietzsche declared the death of God, while Auguste Comte postulated in the Law of Three Stages that humankind had gone pass the religious/mythical stage as well as the metaphysical/speculative stage and was now living in the positive/scientific stage, there has been the consistent institutionalization of atheism and secularism. The early part of the 20 th century saw Freud's publication of the Future of an Illusion in which he predicted that as science continues to advance, religion will become obsolete. The logical positivist too lumped up metaphysical and religious propositions as meaningless and nonsensical. It is within this atmosphere that Alfred North Whitehead comes into philosophy. The main question that this paper seeks to answer is: Why does the concept of God occupy an eminent place in Whitehead's system when all his contemporaries consider God a hypothesis they no longer needed as Laplace had earlier maintained? Of great interest here is the fact that before 1925 Whitehead's writings had no concern for God. However, in his 1925 Science and the Modern World, the chapter on "Abstractions" required that there be such an explanatory factor, reason for which it is immediately followed by the chapter on "God". The last part of his Process and Reality treats elaborately the nature of the relationship between God and the world. This paper explores the reasons why Whitehead places a lot of interest on God and the role that this God plays in his system.

On the Dangers of Inert Ideas in Education: Reflections on Alfred North Whitehead's The Aims of Education and Other Essays

On The Dangers of Inert Ideas in Education: Reflections on Alfred North Whitehead's Aims of Education and Other Essays, 2020

In this paper we concur with Alfred North Whitehead that education with inert ideas is harmful an... more In this paper we concur with Alfred North Whitehead that education with inert ideas is harmful and useless to the student and the society at large. Inert ideas constitute dead knowledge, that is, knowledge that does not relate to one's day-today experiences nor to knowledge gained from other disciplines. Knowledge acquired by students should have an impact on their lived existential situatedness and it should have a link or correlation with knowledge gained from other disciplines. How do we avoid inert ideas in education? Whitehead admonishes us to keep knowledge alive. This, to him, is the central problem of education. We argue in this paper that in an age dominated by fake news, alternative facts and deep fakes, critical thinking and selfexamination are no longer options in the process of education. Thus, the traditional banking system of education is outmoded and should be replaced by the cultivation of critical thinking skills in the child. To do this we must take seriously Whitehead's two commandments of education; the rhythm of education which implies giving the child knowledge appropriate to their age; and the trilogy of freedom-discipline-freedom.

The Centrality of God in the Process Metaphysics of Alfred North Whitehead: A Critique of the Post-Deistic Era

Since the time Nietzsche declared the death of God, while Auguste Comte postulated in the Law of ... more Since the time Nietzsche declared the death of God, while Auguste Comte postulated in the Law of Three Stages that humankind had gone pass the religious/mythical stage as well as the metaphysical/speculative stage and was now living in the positive/scientific stage, there has been the consistent institutionalization of atheism and secularism. The early part of the 20 th century saw Freud's publication of the Future of an Illusion in which he predicted that as science continues to advance, religion will become obsolete. The logical positivist too lumped up metaphysical and religious propositions as meaningless and nonsensical. It is within this atmosphere that Alfred North Whitehead comes into philosophy. The main question that this paper seeks to answer is: Why does the concept of God occupy an eminent place in Whitehead's system when all his contemporaries consider God a hypothesis they no longer needed as Laplace had earlier maintained? Of great interest here is the fact that before 1925 Whitehead's writings had no concern for God. However, in his 1925 Science and the Modern World, the chapter on "Abstractions" required that there be such an explanatory factor, reason for which it is immediately followed by the chapter on "God". The last part of his Process and Reality treats elaborately the nature of the relationship between God and the world. This paper explores the reasons why Whitehead places a lot of interest on God and the role that this God plays in his system.

Whitehead’s Process Metaphysics as a New Link between Science and Metaphysics

International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development, 2020

Against the separation of metaphysics and science (advocated for by Plato and his followers); and... more Against the separation of metaphysics and science (advocated for by Plato and his followers); and against the rejection of metaphysics in favour of science (the Logical Positivists), this work argues that ‘a new link’ between metaphysics and science is all the more necessary for man to better understand nature. This is precisely what Whitehead’s process metaphysics purports to do. But why is ‘a new link’ necessary? It is necessary because Aristotle (and his followers) already established a link (‘an old link’) by making metaphysics the foundation of all the sciences. Yet, Aristotelian metaphysics is a substance-based metaphysics while Whitehead’s metaphysics takes process and especially the category of relation seriously. Whitehead’s Process metaphysics prioritizes process over permanence, becoming over being, relation over substance. Why does Whitehead have such preference for process metaphysics over classical metaphysics? The answer, as shall be shown in this paper, lies in science with the demise of Newtonian science and the rise of Einsteinian science based on the theory of relativity. In an era when the concept of depassement de la metaphysique has become such a dominant feature of modern and postmodern thought, it is therefore our point of interest to find out why Whitehead (who situates himself within this period) takes up metaphysics as the foundation of his philosophizing: Why does Whitehead embark on reconciling science and metaphysics when all his contemporaries are dissociating themselves from the former? These questions will be the main concern of my research in this paper.
Key words: Process Metaphysics, actual entity, eternal objects,Creativity, Concrescence, Prehension

The Opposition between Realism and Non-Justificationism in Karl Popper's Rationality of Science: In Search of the Conditions for the Growth of Knowledge

by Basilis S. Dzelajei and NELSON SHANG

CENTRAL ASIAN JOURNAL OF LITERATURE, PHILOSOPHY AND CULTURE, 2022

This paper situates us within the context of an internal conflict in the Philosophy of Karl Poppe... more This paper situates us within the context of an internal conflict in the Philosophy of Karl Popper. On the one hand, Popper is an ardent proponent of scientific realism-the view that science seeks to formulate true theories that depict the structure of the universe; and on the other hand, the very Karl Popper propounds Non-Justificationism in science-a negativist methodology which asserts that the logic of science seeks not the justification but the refutation of theories. This non-justificationism seems asymmetric to the realist optimistic ambition of justifying the reliability of scientific knowledge. To resolve this tension between realism and nonjustificationism in Popper's epistemology some philosophers have proceeded by revising his method of falsification (Imre Lakatos,), others have opted for a reinterpretation of his realism (Evandro Agazzi, Mario Alai,) while some have given an instrumentalist status to popper's rationality of science (Peter Godfrey-Smith, Anthony O'Hear). Our argument in this Paper is that to resolve the contradiction within Popper's rationality of science we have to situate the two conflicting theses (Realism and non-justicationism) within the general problem of Popper's epistemology. That is, the problem of the conditions necessary for the growth of scientific knowledge. Thus, after examining the basic tenets of Popper's realism and illustrating the levels of the opposition between realism and non-justificationism, we have gone beyond other solutions to defend the conflation of realism and non-justificationism as the condition for the growth of knowledge. Popper thus emerges out of our analysis as a 'critical realist' who rejects 'dogmatic optimism' and creates 'critical optimism' in his evolutionary epistemology.

The Centrality of God in the Process Metaphysics of Alfred North Whitehead: A Critique of the Post-Deistic Era

Since the time Nietzsche declared the death of God, while Auguste Comte postulated in the Law of ... more Since the time Nietzsche declared the death of God, while Auguste Comte postulated in the Law of Three Stages that humankind had gone pass the religious/mythical stage as well as the metaphysical/speculative stage and was now living in the positive/scientific stage, there has been the consistent institutionalization of atheism and secularism. The early part of the 20 century saw Freud’s publication of the Future of an Illusion in which he predicted that as science continues to advance, religion will become obsolete. The logical positivist too lumped up metaphysical and religious propositions as meaningless and nonsensical. It is within this atmosphere that Alfred North Whitehead comes into philosophy. The main question that this paper seeks to answer is: Why does the concept of God occupy an eminent place in Whitehead’s system when all his contemporaries consider God a hypothesis they no longer needed as Laplace had earlier maintained? Of great interest here is the fact that before ...

SECULARISM AND THE RISE OF ISLAMIC TERRORISM IN AFRICA

African Humanities Review, A Multi-Disciplinary Journal, Vol. 2, Number 1, 2016

This paper argues that the emergence and rapid spread of secularism in Africa is one of the rootc... more This paper argues that the emergence and rapid spread of secularism in Africa is one of the rootcauses of the rapid spread of Islamic terrorism on the continent. Many scholars have focused on the political and socioeconomic causes of Islamic terrorism to the neglect of the religious dimension. Yet, while the political and socioeconomic causes are vital, scholars tend to overlook the fact that Islam is a religion that permeates every aspect of the lives of Muslims in public and in private. As such, secularism (which is seen as a way of life that eliminates religion from the public sphere and relegates it to the private sphere) and secular institutions are, for Islamic extremists, to be combated and destroyed at all cost-even through terrorist acts-so as to give religion the pride of place it once occupied on human life. Thus the various terrorist groups in Egypt, Somali, Algeria, Mali, Nigeria and other parts of Africa have one thing in common: a reaction against the secular or western style of life. They attribute the fall in moral standards, materialism and the separation of religion from politics and the public sphere to secularism and the western style of education. But is terrorism a means of fighting secularism? Is it possible that western education is a vehicle of secularism in Africa? Is it possible that social sciences have, for the past sixty years in Africa, been used as a means of westernization? Even if secularism were to be eliminated from Africa will this significantly solve the problem of Islamic terrorism?

THE REALITY OF SECULARISM IN AFRICA AND ITS EFFECTS ON SOME AFRICAN CULTURAL VALUES

BOOK CHAPTER IN Philosophy in Culture: A Cross-Cultural Perspective, Mbih J. Tosam & P. Takov (eds.), Langaa Research Publishing CIG, Bamenda, 2016

Given the many conflicts that characterize contemporary intellectual discourse, the one between s... more Given the many conflicts that characterize contemporary intellectual discourse, the one between secularism and religion is emerging as of the most crucial. Recently, there was in France and Turkey the debate on the laicity of the state; in the United States there was the debate on the theologization of politics; Italy is preoccupied with the debate on the relation between relativism and faith; and last but not the least, there is, in Britain, the rage over the conflict of science and religion ignited by Richard Dwarkins' The God Delusion. This gives the impression that the phenomenon of secularism is solely the concern of the West. Just a few decades ago, Africa was seen as booming with various forms of religions-Christianity, Islam and African Traditional Religion. However, in view of the globalization process, of the power of the mass media, and of the rapidity of urbanization on the continent, it would be strange to believe that it is not already there. The aim of this paper is to discover the various ways in which secular values are at work in the African society, the manner in which they erode or displace religious and cultural values and the danger they pose to the youths of today. We shall equally pause to look at the reality of secularism in the Cameroonian society, particularly at the level of the educational system. Our argument in this paper is neither that religion should be the dominant factor in the society nor that religion should be completely wiped out of the society.

NELSON_SHANG_CURRICULUM_VITAE.

Education as the Development of Human Potentialities in Maria Montessoris Education For A New World

Issoufou Soulé Mouchili Njimom, Ed., “APPROCHES PHILOSOPHIQUES ET SCIENTIFIQUES DE L’HUMAIN”, Ouverture Philosophique, L'Harmattan, 2021

This paper focuses on how building human potentialities in education can enhance learning compete... more This paper focuses on how building human potentialities in education can enhance learning competencies in students for the development of the self and the society. Human potential refers to a possibility human beings are capable of achieving. Montessori believes that the traditional system of education directs students to learn through memorization and recitation techniques and does not lay much emphasis on helping students to bring out their maximum potential. What goal can we attribute to education today? Our focus shall be to answer the questions, what are the favorable conditions under which education can help to build human potentialities? Is Montessori’s view essential in enhancing creativity and building the necessary competencies of the learners in our society today? Education is a natural process carried out by the human individual. It is not what the teacher gives and is not acquired by listening to words but by experiences upon the environment. Montessori opts that education should help the learners develop confidence in their emerging abilities and offer them the opportunity to gain independence in daily tasks. The pedagogic significance of this work serves as a guide for the educational system in Africa and Cameroon in particular. It serves as a guide for curriculum developers and policy makers to bring out programs that will enhance the building of individual competencies for eventual development. Thus Montessori’s idea of education to build human potentialities is indispensible to our educational system today.

SCIENCE AND METAPHYSICS: RUDOLF CARNAP, ALFRED JULES AYER AND MARTIN HEIDEGGER

Mama Come, Ed., Revue Philosophique Bantu, Paris, Les Editions Du Net, 2020

The history of the relationship between science and metaphysics is riddled with controversy. Aris... more The history of the relationship between science and metaphysics is riddled with controversy. Aristotle and his followers see metaphysics as providing the foundations on which science and other human intellectual endeavors build. In opposition to the thoughts of Aristotle, Plato and his followers separate metaphysics from science as independent and unrelated sciences. With the Logical positivists, the debate is a reject of metaphysics in favour of science. Metaphysics then is seen as a pseudo-science. Rudolf Carnap's the "Elimination of Metaphysics through the Logical Analysis of Language" and Alfred Jules Ayer's elimination of metaphysics from the domain of knowledge are examined, while Heidegger is brought in to salvage the situation given that he holds on to the superiority of metaphysics over science.

THE SEPARABILITY OR INSEPARABILITY OF METAPHYSICS FROM MODERN SCIENCE

Issoufou Soulé Mouchili Njimom, Ed., “SCIENCE ET POLITIQUE Réflexions sur des fondements de la dynamique culturelle contemporaine”, 2020

Central to this chapter is a basic philosophical concept of the nature of modern science which ex... more Central to this chapter is a basic philosophical concept of the nature of modern science which exists amongst positivists, like Auguste Comte, who rejects as illegitimate all that cannot be directly observed in the investigation and study of any subject. Our daily experience of the nature of science continues to give us reasons to unlearn what can be considered as prejudices and errors in our conception of the nature of science. Consequently, the question "what is the nature of modern science?" still perplexes us, and the answers we provide to this question often reveal how distorted our vision of history and thought has become over the years. This chapter shall, via the method of critical analysis in philosophy pass through Comte's three stages of arriving at the truth. This approach rejects as non-scientific all that cannot be directly observed in the investigation and study of any subject against Whitehead's approach in which he tries to make a “dispassionate consideration of the nature of things, antecedently to any special investigation into their details”. This is a standpoint Whitehead terms “metaphysical.” This explains why he developed a comprehensive metaphysical system for the understanding of science, society, and self as found in his major texts. In this light, science cannot be done without taking metaphysics into account.

The Value of Metaphysics in the "Post-Metaphysical" Era

International Journal of Humanitatis Theoreticus., 2020

Ever since Hume launched a book-burning campaign against metaphysics, and Kant declared the "end ... more Ever since Hume launched a book-burning campaign against metaphysics, and Kant declared the "end of metaphysics", supported by the Law of Three Stages of Comte and the rejection of metaphysics by the Logical Positivists, we are seen to be living in a post metaphysical era. This paper situates the historical roots of the rejection of metaphysics and then argues forcefully that metaphysics is indispensably relevant in our era. We may theoretically be living after the era of metaphysics, but in practice, in all academic and scientific endeavors, we cannot do without metaphysical presuppositions and assumptions. Those proclaiming the death of metaphysics are in fact valorizing metaphysics since at the base of their arguments are metaphysical principles.

The Centrality of God in the Process Metaphysics of Alfred North Whitehead: A Critique of the Post-Deistic Era

ournal of Arts and Humanities , 2020

Since the time Nietzsche declared the death of God, while Auguste Comte postulated in the Law of ... more Since the time Nietzsche declared the death of God, while Auguste Comte postulated in the Law of Three Stages that humankind had gone pass the religious/mythical stage as well as the metaphysical/speculative stage and was now living in the positive/scientific stage, there has been the consistent institutionalization of atheism and secularism. The early part of the 20 th century saw Freud's publication of the Future of an Illusion in which he predicted that as science continues to advance, religion will become obsolete. The logical positivist too lumped up metaphysical and religious propositions as meaningless and nonsensical. It is within this atmosphere that Alfred North Whitehead comes into philosophy. The main question that this paper seeks to answer is: Why does the concept of God occupy an eminent place in Whitehead's system when all his contemporaries consider God a hypothesis they no longer needed as Laplace had earlier maintained? Of great interest here is the fact that before 1925 Whitehead's writings had no concern for God. However, in his 1925 Science and the Modern World, the chapter on "Abstractions" required that there be such an explanatory factor, reason for which it is immediately followed by the chapter on "God". The last part of his Process and Reality treats elaborately the nature of the relationship between God and the world. This paper explores the reasons why Whitehead places a lot of interest on God and the role that this God plays in his system.

On the Dangers of Inert Ideas in Education: Reflections on Alfred North Whitehead's The Aims of Education and Other Essays

On The Dangers of Inert Ideas in Education: Reflections on Alfred North Whitehead's Aims of Education and Other Essays, 2020

In this paper we concur with Alfred North Whitehead that education with inert ideas is harmful an... more In this paper we concur with Alfred North Whitehead that education with inert ideas is harmful and useless to the student and the society at large. Inert ideas constitute dead knowledge, that is, knowledge that does not relate to one's day-today experiences nor to knowledge gained from other disciplines. Knowledge acquired by students should have an impact on their lived existential situatedness and it should have a link or correlation with knowledge gained from other disciplines. How do we avoid inert ideas in education? Whitehead admonishes us to keep knowledge alive. This, to him, is the central problem of education. We argue in this paper that in an age dominated by fake news, alternative facts and deep fakes, critical thinking and selfexamination are no longer options in the process of education. Thus, the traditional banking system of education is outmoded and should be replaced by the cultivation of critical thinking skills in the child. To do this we must take seriously Whitehead's two commandments of education; the rhythm of education which implies giving the child knowledge appropriate to their age; and the trilogy of freedom-discipline-freedom.

The Centrality of God in the Process Metaphysics of Alfred North Whitehead: A Critique of the Post-Deistic Era

Since the time Nietzsche declared the death of God, while Auguste Comte postulated in the Law of ... more Since the time Nietzsche declared the death of God, while Auguste Comte postulated in the Law of Three Stages that humankind had gone pass the religious/mythical stage as well as the metaphysical/speculative stage and was now living in the positive/scientific stage, there has been the consistent institutionalization of atheism and secularism. The early part of the 20 th century saw Freud's publication of the Future of an Illusion in which he predicted that as science continues to advance, religion will become obsolete. The logical positivist too lumped up metaphysical and religious propositions as meaningless and nonsensical. It is within this atmosphere that Alfred North Whitehead comes into philosophy. The main question that this paper seeks to answer is: Why does the concept of God occupy an eminent place in Whitehead's system when all his contemporaries consider God a hypothesis they no longer needed as Laplace had earlier maintained? Of great interest here is the fact that before 1925 Whitehead's writings had no concern for God. However, in his 1925 Science and the Modern World, the chapter on "Abstractions" required that there be such an explanatory factor, reason for which it is immediately followed by the chapter on "God". The last part of his Process and Reality treats elaborately the nature of the relationship between God and the world. This paper explores the reasons why Whitehead places a lot of interest on God and the role that this God plays in his system.

Whitehead’s Process Metaphysics as a New Link between Science and Metaphysics

International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development, 2020

Against the separation of metaphysics and science (advocated for by Plato and his followers); and... more Against the separation of metaphysics and science (advocated for by Plato and his followers); and against the rejection of metaphysics in favour of science (the Logical Positivists), this work argues that ‘a new link’ between metaphysics and science is all the more necessary for man to better understand nature. This is precisely what Whitehead’s process metaphysics purports to do. But why is ‘a new link’ necessary? It is necessary because Aristotle (and his followers) already established a link (‘an old link’) by making metaphysics the foundation of all the sciences. Yet, Aristotelian metaphysics is a substance-based metaphysics while Whitehead’s metaphysics takes process and especially the category of relation seriously. Whitehead’s Process metaphysics prioritizes process over permanence, becoming over being, relation over substance. Why does Whitehead have such preference for process metaphysics over classical metaphysics? The answer, as shall be shown in this paper, lies in science with the demise of Newtonian science and the rise of Einsteinian science based on the theory of relativity. In an era when the concept of depassement de la metaphysique has become such a dominant feature of modern and postmodern thought, it is therefore our point of interest to find out why Whitehead (who situates himself within this period) takes up metaphysics as the foundation of his philosophizing: Why does Whitehead embark on reconciling science and metaphysics when all his contemporaries are dissociating themselves from the former? These questions will be the main concern of my research in this paper.
Key words: Process Metaphysics, actual entity, eternal objects,Creativity, Concrescence, Prehension