Idubamo Daniel Agbada

In this paper, inquiry will be made into the extent to which individual freedom and social responsibility conflates or conflicts on issues surrounding privacy and confidentiality as well as the reflection of these issues on the constituent element of knowledge construction and social formation in what could be termed as the ‘new social’, that is, the digital. The integral framework of this research would take off from the meta-modern standpoint in determining the question of privacy and confidentiality, and fitting same as being a conflict between grounds of social-politico organisation of society and individual rights and liberties. Similarly, the State’s duty to protect the social structure against the background of the burgeoning influence of big data companies, and the individual’s responsibility to protect the confidentiality of his ‘digital persona’ presents the reflex point which determines the intersection between the social, political and legal components of digital society. Thus, this research would interrogate the discourses which surround the meta-modern perspective of social formation and knowledge construction, by presenting arguments for a more regulative but not restrictive digital sphere, as it relates to the protection and use of individual data. The research would fundamentally argue that there exists certain level of direct connections between the meta-modern construction of knowledge and social formation with the realistic approach to the question of privacy and confidentiality in the digital sphere, by engaging with the three basic themes of: the constituent element of meta-modernism, the debate surrounding privacy and confidentiality in both the old and new social, and the intersection between both themes.

The challenge of underdevelopment has been a fundamental malady in the African continent, particularly in Nigeria over the years. Development which has to do with social, political, cultural, economic, technological and human progress or advancement in the society has been a basic goal or aspiration of Nigeria and has seemed not only far-fetched but also extremely difficult to attain. Numerous reasons such as corruption, bad leadership, bad followership, ethnicity, injustice, religious extremism, religious violence, militarism, insurgency, colonialism among others have been aptly identified as the core causes of underdevelopment in the Nigerian state. However, in this paper we vehemently argue that the actual bedrock of the problem of development in Nigeria is the possession of wrong/inimical personal and social values which is in turn a product of wrong mind-set or mentality prevalent in the heart of the populace. Hence, we contend that the solution to Nigeria’s current deplorable state necessarily lies in a philosophical or critical re-evaluation of our individual and social values, and that until this is done, the state’s aspiration to attain national development will significantly remain elusive, unattainable and a mere dream. To avoid stopping at the level of positing theoretical solutions, we have further given specific lines of action that should be taken to ensure that this necessary re-evaluation is realised. This substantiates the invaluable importance of philosophy to individual and societal development as opposed to the misconception that philosophy is essentially abstract and as such, has no practical value for the society.

The concepts of meaning, understanding and or misunderstanding have been of significance in philosophy, linguistics, communication studies, and sociology. This is due to the crucial status of communication among humans as the distortion of meaning and misunderstanding can bring about social imbalance. This article explores the complex nature of human communication, delving into the linguistic, sociocultural, and epistemological barriers that impede meaningful understanding. Through an exploration of the close-knit relationships between language, context, and meaning, it aims to expose the nuanced dynamics of communication and the nature of meaning, contributing to a better understanding of the challenges and possibilities of human communication.

There is an image of science painted and presented by scientists as the ultimate standard of rationality and the most credible way of knowing and speaking about the world, granting all its claims and postulations objective status. One would not be far from the truth to claim that this image of science has come about as the result of the successes of the scientific enterprise. Indeed, we cannot deny the role of science in our understanding of the natural world and the laws governing it, however, can we state with certainty that science is sufficient for knowing the world and dealing with the challenges encountered within? Science is seen or considered as providing certain, objective, and universal knowledge; and has, in the conception of most people today, obtained a hegemonic status over all other means of knowing – context-based. Postmodernism can be considered a challenge to the established status of science as it aims and calls for the breakdown of boundaries, and the rejection of all grand narratives, objectivity, and universality. In this paper we adopt the critical analytic method to examine this image of science and the challenge postmodernism poses to it. We find that science is more progressive than objective, and conclude that both science and postmodernism be reconciled to address context-based problems.

Over the years, science has attained a somewhat hegemonic status as a both a discipline and an activity that makes life easier for the human race. This status has been maintained by the successes of scientific endeavours and innovations, and the fact that science is a progressive field endeavour seeking to reinvent itself. This paper analyses the most common of environmental challenges Nigeria as a country is faced with, and proffers ways through which these challenges can be mitigated by science. While science has made life easier, brought about many comforts and innovations, and has the potential to address environmental challenges, it has also contributed to a number of these challenges in the world today. The paper explores the role of science and its application – technology – in addressing these challenges and aims to contribute to a better understanding of Nigeria’s environmental challenges, the scientific interventions necessary to mitigate them, and increase environmental awareness for environmental sustainability.

This paper explores the communitarian themes in Chinua Achebe's Arrow of God, revealing the complex social fabric of the Igbo village of Umuaro. Through a critical analytic method, this study examines how Achebe's narrative embodies core communitarian principles: prioritisation of collective well-being, interdependence of individual and communal identity, and the contextualisation of moral agency within cultural traditions. It also examines the position of the individual as an integral part of the commune. This research argues that Achebe's work presents a culturally nuanced communitarianism, highlighting the importance of collective life, and concludes that a delicate balance must be struck between individual responsibility to the community and communal responsibility to the individual.