

























Philosophy, Human Formation and the Contemporary World     |    1 

 

 

 

PHILOSOPHY, HUMAN FORMATION  
AND THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD 

 
 

 

 

Abstract 

This paper seeks to examine the relevance of philosophy to 

human development and in extension, the contemporary 

world. This is premised on the ground of the misconception 

about the discipline of philosophy. The paper develops by 

drawing on the meaning of philosophy with which it was 

clearly stated that it is a rational quest for wisdom. This 

preoccupation of philosophy clearly negates the wrong way 

with which philosophy is regarded. The paper elicits further, 

that philosophy is essential for human development in that it 

helps the individual to reason and think correctly, helps to 

facilitate self- knowledge and equally helps in the 

interpersonal relationship with people of other cultures. 

Thus, man is said to be freed from the imprisonment of 

prejudice. The paper further argues that philosophy gives 

clarity to some theological concepts. This means that 

philosophy has answers to almost all the mysteries in reality. 

It, however, concludes that the contemporary world which is 

characterized by science and technology will only thrive 

because of the tools of philosophy. This means that science 

and technology, which people see as the ‘messiah’ of this 

present age, will only achieve its desired goal if the methods 

of philosophy are adhered to and this will be the basis for 

authentic human development.  

 

Keywords: Philosophy, Human Development, coherency, 

Logicality. 

 



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Introduction 

Following social contract theories, there is the notion that the state 

of nature was characterized by barbarism and anarchism. However, 

in order to solve this problem, the likes of Thomas Hobbes, John 

Locke and Jean Jacque Rousseau came up with their social contract 

theories. Although all three have different approaches, yet one thing 

that is common to them, is the need for a state to be organized for 

the protection of its members. From Plato’s political utopia, the one 

that must be a leader must be a Philosopher-King. Commenting on 

the position of Plato, A. S. Fotiou says that “the member of this 

group (Guardians) form a deliberative and a legislative body of the 

state. This is because their predominant virtue is wisdom, which 

they use as the basis for law and order”.1 This is due to Plato’s notion 

of class stratification of the ideal state which is bifurcated into three 

as evident in his Republic: the Guardians (rulers), the Auxiliaries 

(soldiers), and artisans (workers). These guardians or rulers are the 

people in the society whose duty is to steer the ship of the state. The 

notion of the philosopher-king or the ruler is based on the conviction 

that the philosophers have knowledge, intellect and are trained to 

govern. Plato, however, believes that an elaborate and rigorous 

education of the guardians is a pre-requisite for the possible 

realization of the ideal state. This ruling class must necessarily 

exercise strict control over education, art, war and even marriages 

so as to keep away corrupting influences and promote social 

harmony according to philosophical principles.2 The above 

assertions of the contracterians and Plato, underscore the thought of 

Francis Bacon that “Ideas rule the world”. This is because a firm 

grasp of philosophical tools which is wisdom-centered will help in 

the fostering the society. Philosophy trains human mind to reason 

correctly and rationally. When this irrevocable truth is put in the 

right perspective the society becomes a better place. 

Be that as it may, there is this popular belief by some persons 

that philosophy does not bake bread. This is because for them it is a 

waste of time to study philosophy or to be a philosopher since it has 

no relevance to humanity. For some, the only thing that philosophy 

is capable of doing is that it has turned people into atheists. Some 

see philosophy as that which is out of touch with reality. For them, 



Philosophy, Human Formation and the Contemporary World     |    3 

 

philosophy cannot thrive in the wake of science and technology. J.O. 

Ndubisi captures more of this misconception when he says that: 
 

There is no discipline that is generally misunderstood and 

misconceived as being irrelevant to human society as 

philosophy… some said that philosophy is a study in futility … 

often times, people think that the students of philosophy are 

wasting their precious time in studying philosophy. Some non-

students of philosophy do not understand what philosophy 

students do in their philosophy classes”.3   

 

The task of this paper therefore, will be to argue for the importance 

of philosophy to humanity and society. The thesis to be pursued will 

be that of spelling out the relevance of philosophy to human 

development in this contemporary world while addressing the 

misconceptions that have been there over time. This essay adopts 

the analytic, prescriptive and critical method. However, it is 

important to note from the outset that the attempt of this paper is not 

to construct a rigid, perfect and all-embracing relevance of 

philosophy to the world as this would be a futile and impossible 

mission. Rather, the goal is to provide a framework that will foster 

on-going research on this area of study. 

 

Meaning and Nature of Philosophy: A General Overview 

H.S. Staniland says that a question which takes only three words to 

ask is, one might think, a question which a presumed expert ought 

to be able to answer in three well-chosen words of his own. But, as 

every philosopher knows, ‘what is Philosophy?’ is not such a 

question. Professional dignity forbids any of us to reply ‘I don’t 

know’.”4 The implication of this, therefore, is that philosophy we all 

know has no univocal definition. This is because, giving any formal 

definition of philosophy presupposes some conceptions not likely to 

be shared by all philosophers.  

The implication of this is that different philosophers define 

it from different ideological ambience, orientations, schools of 

thought, socio-political bents or even personal convictions. Despite 

the distinctiveness of thought as regards the meaning and definition 

of philosophy, one thing that all philosophers generally agree to, is 

that philosophy is a critical enterprise, something dynamic or a 



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quest to find out. This means that philosophy is a search for, or 

indeed a spirit of evaluative exploration. It is a term that is derived 

from two Greek words philos- love and Sophia –wisdom. This 

means that philosophy is the love of wisdom. It is a search for truth 

of reality. In other words, the essence of philosophy is to gain insight 

into reality and gain knowledge of reality and truth.  

It is from this perspective William Lawhead sees philosophy 

as a “human attempt to systematically study the most fundamental 

structures of our entire experience in order to arrive at beliefs that 

are conceptually clear, experientially confirmed, and rationally 

coherent as possible.5 For him, philosophy seeks clarity of all our 

basic beliefs and assumptions. Philosophy for Matthew Izibili, is 

regarded as “a process in which the individual is consciously 

engaged in the activities of a rigorous thinking process or deep 

reflective method with a view to establishing orderliness”.6 This 

definition shows that philosophy is goal-oriented and its goal is to 

seek orderliness in the society and world at large.  

A close look at the different definitions of philosophy shows 

that man is placed at the center of it all. This is as a result of man’s 

quest to know more about reality. Williams Aso captures this clearly 

when he says that “man as the subject of philosophy has 

unquenchable thirst for knowledge not only for empirical realities 

alone but also phenomenal realities and everything that concern 

human experience and the universe in general”.7 Kolawole Owolabi 

says philosophy is conceived as the critical reflection of human 

beings on the problem of their existence and essence”.8 Olayinka 

Opafola sees philosophy as an attempt to resolve problems of man, 

his nature and the universe.9 A close look at most of the definitions 

of philosophy, shows that it has to do with giving answers to the 

reality of man’s ontology. 

Philosophy is said to have two orders. The first order and the 

second order. Philosophy of the first order embraces among others, 

the following philosophy of life, culture, traditions, customs and 

worldviews, religion, beliefs, music, aesthetics, proverbs and 

folktales, et cetera. The second order of philosophy, is seen as 

something deeper and more involving, it is a rational venture, 



Philosophy, Human Formation and the Contemporary World     |    5 

 

critical and detailed in outlook, a reflective approach, an inquiry that 

truly involves the commitment of the enquirer. 

 Philosophy is known to have four major branches 

Metaphysics, Epistemology, Ethics and Logic. Metaphysics is the 

study of reality. Sylvester Enomah captures this clearly when he 

writes “metaphysics is that branch of philosophy, which studies and 

investigates that principle that pervades all reality.10 This simply 

means that metaphysics as a branch of philosophy studies reality as 

a whole and not just a portion of it. Corroborating this point Enoch 

Stumpf says that metaphysics refer simply to the subject matter or 

reality beyond physical nature or beyond the things we see.11  

Pantaleon Iroegbu defines metaphysics as that branch of 

philosophy that studies reality as such, i.e., in its most 

comprehensive scope and fundamental principles.12 Metaphysics 

gives the deepest meaning to reality. This further underscores the 

fact that metaphysics extends to all reality both those perceptible to 

the senses which we come to know by empirical investigation and 

those realities that we cannot experience or know experiencially but 

through abstraction, apriori and aposterori reasoning. It is derived 

from the Greek expression Ta meta ta physica (after the physics).13 

It is a title that is credited to Andronicus of Rhodes. Consequently, 

the subjects of metaphysics were then called “the treatise after the 

physical treaties”, which is the literal meaning of the word 

metaphysics. Simply put, it means over and beyond the physical.14 

Epistemology as a branch of philosophy seeks to evaluate 

our knowledge claims. This is as a consequence of the sceptics who 

deny the possibility of knowing. It is derived from the Greek word 

episteme which means knowledge and logos which means theory or 

study.15 It therefore means that epistemology is the theory of 

knowledge. In other words, it is the study of human knowledge, the 

study of the nature of human knowledge, its origin, its scope, its 

limits, its justification, its reliability or otherwise, its certainty or 

otherwise.16 In the same vein, Anselm Jimoh sees epistemology as 

a theory that deals with the analysis of sets of facts as principles that 

guide our understanding of issues that relate to knowledge.17 This 

means that as a theory, epistemology investigates the nature and 

possibility of knowledge by asking questions relating to whether we 



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can have knowledge as we describe and understand it. As the study 

of the nature of knowledge and justification, Blessing Agidigbi says 

epistemology attempts to provide answers to: in particular, (a) what 

knowledge is? (the defining components) (b) how do we get it? (the 

substantive conditions of sources) and (c) can our means of getting 

it be defended against skeptical challenge? (the limits of knowledge 

and justification). These questions are all aimed at explicating the 

nature of knowledge and how to establish the claim that one actually 

knows what he claims to know.18 It is not in doubt that the whole 

idea of philosophy deals mainly with knowledge. There are different 

sources of knowledge, they include empiricism, rationalism, and so 

on.  

Ethics as a branch of philosophy deals with the ought and the 

ought not of human relationship. On this Anthony Asekhauno and 

Gregory Ogbenika write ‘ethics is all about the morality of the 

actions of human beings. It has to do with ‘ought’ of human behavior 

and life’.19 Williams Aso sees it as “the study of the basic principles 

about what is right and wrong in human relationship with others and 

ecosystem”.20 This is because etymologically, it is derived from the 

Greek word ethica having its root in ethos i.e., custom which means 

the fundamental orientation and inner disposition of an individual 

about life. Following the notion that the actions of man can be both 

instinctive and deliberate, there exists the difference between acts of 

man and human acts. Higgins holds that a Human act is a free and 

deliberate act with three main known elements: motion of the will, 

previous intellectual knowledge of the purpose of the act and 

freedom.21 The ethical implication here is the assumption that man 

is the master of his act. Hence, he can be held responsible for his 

actions or inactions. Acts of man on the other hand, are actions that 

are natural to the human person (blinking, sneezing, farting and so 

on).  

However, there exists different ethical principles with which 

human conduct is judged. These principles form the various aspects 

of ethics. They include Normative Ethics (Teleological and 

Deontological), Descriptive ethics and Meta-ethics (Naturalism and 

Anti-naturalism).22 There is no doubt then, that the basic concern of 

ethics is that it is the area of philosophy that reasons about morality, 



Philosophy, Human Formation and the Contemporary World     |    7 

 

particularly the meaning and justification of claims concerning right 

or wrong actions, obligation, moral rules, right, virtue, the good life 

and the possibility of objective morality.  

Logic is derived from the Greek word Logos which simply 

means word that is spoken and the consequence of this meaning later 

on developed to imply human thought or human order of reason.23 

Logic is concerned with the principle of valid inference. The 

concept of validity has to do with the logical assessment of 

arguments. This is because validity as a formal concept, is mainly 

concerned with the formal connection between the premises and the 

conclusion of an argument.24 An argument cannot be both deductive 

and inductive, and the quest for every logical argument is to bring 

about rational proof for validity and soundness. This further 

strengthens the fact that the task of logic is philosophically 

characterized with the skill of recognizing valid and fallacious 

inference so that one can distinguish logical and illogical arguments. 

Williams Aso argues that logic is a critical thinking directed at 

distinguishing valid from invalid arguments or reasoning. Logic 

deals with the question, nature and forms of human inferences.25 On 

the issue of the validity or invalidity of an argument, an argument is 

said to be valid when there is the logical connection between the 

premises and the conclusion. While it is said to be invalid when the 

truth of the premises does not entail the truth of the conclusion. 

When the premises are true and the conclusion is false, the argument 

is invalid. 

 Other sub-branches that emanate from the above main 

branches of philosophy, include, axiology, socio-political 

philosophy, philosophy of mind, philosophy of art, philosophy of 

science, philosophical anthropology, philosophy of education, 

philosophy of mathematics, philosophy of economics and so on.  

Philosophy, however, is known to have three main methods 

or approaches as some authors will put it. They include: the 

speculative, the prescriptive and the analytic. Where the speculative 

tool consists of the mental reflection about the universe, the 

prescriptive seeks to establish a workable standard for placing 

values, judging conduct and art appraisal. While, the analytic 

focuses attention on the meaning words and expression. It also goes 



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further to show that the meaning of words are relative depending 

upon prevailing circumstances. All of these three put together makes 

philosophy methodologically structured. The discipline called 

philosophy has lingered on in history from the ancient era, down to 

this contemporary world. 

 

Philosophy and the Essentials of Human Formation: Towards 

Liberating the Human Person from the Clogs of Ignorance 

Human formation is all about the development of a well-rounded 

and competent man, possessing personal maturity. The basis of this 

is the fact that we human beings are physical, emotional, 

psychological, sexual, social, intellectual and spiritual ...”26 This 

development can only flourish when there is a firm grasp of the tools 

of philosophy. “This means that one needs to grow in this aspect of 

humanity because “growth in one’s personal humanity is therefore 

the foundation of ones spiritual, pastoral and intellectual 

formation.”27 In order not to be swayed by the demagogue of acute 

deceit, illogicality and irrationality, it is expected that philosophy 

forms a major part in the terminus ad quem and the terminus a quo 

of man’s existence. This is because the failures due to lack of 

rationality and criticality in our world is almost indiscernible.  

On the necessity for philosophical education for an authentic 

human formation, the Concillar Fathers writes: “Philosophical 

subjects should be taught in such a way as to lead the students 

gradually to a solid and consistent knowledge of man, the world and 

God. The student should rely on the philosophical patrimony which 

is forever valid, but should also take account of the modern 

philosophical studies, especially those which have greater influence 

in their own country, as well as recent progress in the sciences. Thus, 

by correctly understanding the modern mind, students will be 

prepared to enter into dialogue with their contemporaries”.28 This 

means that for the Fathers of the Second Vatican Council, the goal 

of philosophy must be in such a way that it must lead to a better 

knowledge of man and the reality of his existence which will be 

connected to the one who is his Primary Cause, God. This will not 

exclude an acceptance of scientific findings after its objective 

evaluation.  



Philosophy, Human Formation and the Contemporary World     |    9 

 

The document went on to state that, “the history of 

philosophy should be taught in such a manner that students may 

grasp the fundamental principles of the various systems, retaining 

those elements which are proved to be true, while being able to 

detect and refute those which are false. The teaching method 

adopted should stimulate in the students a love of rigorous 

investigation, observation and demonstration of the truth, as well as 

an honest recognition of the limits of human knowledge.”29 This 

explains why the different histories and epochs of philosophy are 

exposed to the students from year one to four in the Bachelors level 

down to masters and doctoral level. The essence of these historical 

surveys is to be able to understand better the background or system 

through which other philosophical trends were explicated. For 

instance, the theme of the ancient philosophy is speculation on the 

universe, the medieval era saw the need to marry religion with 

philosophy, the modern era which started with Descartes was to 

apply scientific cum mathematical principle to philosophy thereby 

breaking away from the faith-based philosophy of the medieval era, 

the contemporary or post-modernist is more of a deconstruction 

from traditional philosophy like the thought of James Ladyman’ 

naturalized metaphysics, Jacque Deridda and the Binary Opposite, 

Emmanuel Levinas alterity and a host of others. All of these history 

according to the Conciliar Fathers will help the student develop a 

thorough search for the truth and apply it in his day-to-day living. 

This is where the student’s own effort comes in. They are expected 

to draw useful implications from the wealth of philosophical 

speculation because the riches or gain of philosophy is when it 

makes humanity to take rational decisions in life. 

 

These essentials of philosophy to human formation can be 

summarily outlined as follows: 

1. Philosophy helps the individual and some religious leaders to 

analyze dogmatic issues in theology; Dogmas in theology are not 

totally devoid of reason. This explains why the medieval thinkers 

and other early Fathers of the Church used the methods and logical 

techniques of the ancient philosophers to address difficult 

theological questions and points of doctrine like the Trinity, Holy 



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Eucharist, and Incarnation and so on. Thomas Aquinas following 

Peter Damian argued that philosophy is the handmaiden of theology 

(ancilla theologiae). St. Augustine’s Credo ut intelligiam (Believe 

so that you may understand), which St. Anselm also adopted in his 

faith seeking understanding. Commenting on this, Ratio 

Fundamentallis Institutionis Sacerdotalis states that “philosophy is 

at the service of faith seeking understanding for the ultimate aim of 

carrying out the mission of Christ on earth”30 On this view, reason 

by itself is not good enough to give us proper religious knowledge, 

instead, we have to begin with faith to set us in the right direction 

and, once we believe in God through faith, we can seek to 

understand the foundations of our belief through reason. It is not 

new that the early Church faced intellectual and cultural ridicule 

from the Romans and the Greeks. These ridicules threatened internal 

cohesion within the Church and its evangelistic boldness towards 

unbelievers.31 With the help of the rich tools of philosophy they 

were able to scale through. 

 

2. Philosophy helps the individual to reason correctly and to 

apply their thoughts coherently and logically. The study of 

philosophy helps the individual to be critical in his dealings and also 

to avoid errors in speech and in writing. It is this character of 

criticality of philosophy that makes us question everything before 

accepting it as true knowledge. In this regard, philosophy helps to 

remove ambiguity, thereby bringing out the clarifications of 

thought. 

 

3. Philosophy facilitates self-knowledge. The worst thing that will 

happen to a person is when he lacks self-identity. Self-knowledge 

matters a lot. This is what necessitates his ambition to set up the 

goals he wishes to achieve. Following the Socratic imperative ‘man 

know thyself’, knowing oneself, means examining oneself; for the 

unexamined life is not worth living. Philosophy will help the 

individual to constantly ask the following existential questions ‘who 

am I? Where have I come from and where am I going? 

 



Philosophy, Human Formation and the Contemporary World     |    11 

 

4. Philosophy helps the individual in Ecumenical 

Dialogues/Interreligious dialogues. In his encyclical, Fides et 

Ratio, Pope John Paul II made it clear that philosophy is of 

incalculable importance. He speaks of the influence philosophy has 

on the development of culture, and on personal and social behavior. 

He declared, “Philosophical thought is often the only ground for 

understanding and dialogue with those who do not share our faith.”32 

Epistemic justice calls for an understanding of the faith of others so 

as to be able to relate with them. It will be an epistemic injustice to 

judge other religious groups from afar.  

 

5. Philosophy enables the individual to prudently change or 

enhance some fundamental beliefs. It is an existential fact that 

most of the things we do or even the way we interpret our 

experiences are based on our fundamental beliefs. It is therefore the 

task of the priest using the rich tools of philosophy to question those 

beliefs that are not in agreement with the rationality of the human 

person. Any belief that is found guilty before the ‘Court of Reason’ 

is bound to be discarded or improved upon. Philosophy, therefore, 

helps to shape and sharpen our mental faculty33. 

 

6. Philosophy frees the individual from dogmatism. By 

dogmatism, I mean being imprisoned by thought or narrow-

mindedness. Philosophy disposes us not to accept anything without 

rational justification. In this sense, philosophy frees the human 

person from the imprisonment of the prejudices derived from 

common sense, from habitual beliefs of our age and our 

environment, from culture and from our spontaneous convictions. 

One important aspect of philosophy is that it makes us to stand out 

in the midst of the crowd. It provides us with intellectual 

independence.34 

 

The Relevance of Philosophy to the Contemporary World 
The relevance of philosophy to our contemporary world cannot be 

over emphasized since its importance is geared towards making the 

society a better place. Now, every state is characterized by its 

economic, social, religious and politics. Philosophy can helped to 



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cushion some horrendous effects. Of all those who explain the 

relevance of philosophy to the society, J.O. Ejikemeuwa Ndubisi is 

more wholistic because his thought on the matter bothers on both 

the social, religious, economic and the political sphere of the 

society.35 The assertions below are products of his findings. 

 

Philosophy and Cross-Culturalism: The reality of numerous 

cultures with their idiosyncrasies more often than not causes rift. 

However, philosophy is necessary to combat actions of war and 

conflict among people of different backgrounds. In our world of 

today where there are people of different races and nationalities, 

different ideological and religious orientations, there is the need to 

make sense of the whole quagmire. It is unfortunate that the society 

in which we live in recognizes those they feel are from their locality. 

For instance, where the white man feels at home with only his fellow 

white man, or a black man feeling same about his fellow blacks. 

There is a kind of natural hatred of one race or group against another.  

This is where the study of philosophy plays a major role. Our 

knowledge of substance and accidents in metaphysics (a branch of 

philosophy) shows that every human person shares one substance – 

the humanity of the human person. The humanness of the white man 

or the black man or as evident in the different ethnic groups in 

Nigeria, the Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba, Efik or Ijaw is not lesser or higher 

than the humanness of the Fulani, Tiv, Idoma, Esan or Egede as the 

case may be. We all share one humanity. The fact that one is a white 

man or a black man or Igbo, Yoruba or Hausa is simply accidental 

to the being of the individual person. In this regard, therefore, the 

study of philosophy will certainly play a vital role to unite all 

communities of the world together.  

 

Philosophy and the Political Sphere of the Society: The society 

cannot be devoid of political influence. In fact, some scholars say 

everything is politicized. With this they mean that one cannot 

separate politics from the happenings of the world. Be that as it may, 

it is important to state that in history the world has experienced 

different political dispensations. It is true that the human person is a 

political animal but it is also true that politics as it is being practiced 



Philosophy, Human Formation and the Contemporary World     |    13 

 

in the different countries cannot grow or even develop without the 

aid of philosophy. Our politicians need at least a little dose of 

philosophy in order to be truly rational in all their dealings. J. 

Ndubisi affirmed that “In the political sphere, a dose of philosophy, 

especially, is necessary to enable us to appreciate our political 

heritage. The fact that “ideas rule the world” points to the practical 

role philosophy plays or should play in the politics of the world. It 

takes a good dose of philosophy for one to understand and evaluate 

the essential needs of one’s people”.36 

The role of philosophy in the political sphere will be much 

more appreciated in the area of policy-making. Philosophers or 

rather those who have had some training in philosophy are better 

equipped to help the government to articulate good polices that will 

touch the lives of the people positively. Philosophy can help 

Nigerian Politicians to desist from the politics of acrimony and 

bitterness. Since philosophy upholds the dignity of human nature, 

politicians will certainly benefit from it given that it will dispose 

them to be fair in all their dealings. Ndubisi holds that Philosophy 

certainly will help all to be true citizens and to have regard for the 

constituted authority.37  

 

Philosophy and Religious Pluralism: Philosophy has a major role 

to play in the way and manner religion is understood and practiced 

in our world. Ndubisi holds that from our knowledge of 

metaphysics, epistemology, and ethics, we learnt that everything 

that is, derived its being from the being that is by necessity. This 

being that is by necessity is what religious people call God. This is 

a simple philosophical knowledge. The implication of this 

understanding is that there is only one Supreme Being that is 

approached differently38.  

He went further to state that, the knowledge of philosophy 

will help the contemporary world to appreciate the fact that each of 

us is unique and as such every religion is unique. It is philosophy 

that should help us to respect the views of others, be it religious or 

otherwise. Basic philosophical knowledge will make Christians, 

Moslems and Traditional Worshipers in the world to tolerate each 

other without any form of violence or hatred. Since philosophy is 



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the love of wisdom, it will dispose us to appreciate the good aspects 

of each religious group in the world. In this regard, Christians and 

Moslems are to see themselves as collaborators and not as 

enemies.39 

 

Philosophy and Economic Development/Viability: Ndubisi holds 

that economic development has to do with the production and 

distribution of goods and services for the good of human society. 

Philosophy has what it takes to develop the economy of every state. 

Philosophy, we must recall, is a reflective activity. It takes only a 

reflective mind to bring about economic growth and development. 

It will not be an overstatement to say, for instance, that Nigerian 

economic problem is hinged on the lack of philosophical training. It 

is clear that when the mind is developed, it will certainly affect other 

aspects of human endeavor.  

According to him (Ndubisi), ‘Philosophy may not be a 

practical study or of immediate practical utility, but it contains what 

is finest and noblest in human life, because it is concerned not with 

the production of material wealth, but with the advancement of the 

wealth of the mind. One thing that is clear is that a developed mind 

translates to developed economy.40 He went further to state that 

there is a close relationship between a philosopher and an 

entrepreneur. A good philosopher is a good entrepreneur. 

Entrepreneurship has to do with the process of generating ideas and 

venturing into business risks for the purpose of making profits. It 

takes only a reflective mind to generate ideas; and it also takes a 

reflective mind to actualize these ideas. Philosophy has to do with 

creativity. This is what the society needs. We need philosophy to 

sharpen our creative minds for the purpose of economic growth and 

development in the world. This will bring us to Philosophy of 

Economics which has to do with inquiries concerning rational 

choice, appraisal of economic outcomes, institutions and processes 

and the ontology of economic phenomena.41 

 

Philosophy and Scientific Inventions: The contemporary world is 

said to be a digital world. Many scientific inventions have been 

explored to bring about ease in the society. This explains why people 



Philosophy, Human Formation and the Contemporary World     |    15 

 

feel the sciences are the ‘saviour’ of the society. Indeed, the sciences 

have been seen as the redeemer of mankind. However, it is important 

to note that the sciences are able to thrive because they employed 

philosophical tools. In other words, philosophy asks the questions 

for which sciences or scientists find the answers and thrive. There 

is no scientific invention that is devoid of speculation, there is none 

that does not require analysis, and there is none that is devoid of 

prescription. These are important methods of philosophy. I guess 

this is why in the ancient times philosophers were called scientists.  

 

Conclusion 

It suffices to state therefore that the relevance of philosophy to 

nation building will help to jettison the erroneous belief that 

philosophy does not bake bread. For me, philosophy does not only 

bake bread but also, butters the bread. The misconception of 

philosophy that we see and hear these days are wont to be dismissed 

and discountenanced as abstruse and recondite. Philosophy, as 

traditionally understood, is the study, by the use of reason, of the 

deepest realities. It deals with the nature of the material world, the 

nature of man, the existence of God. It defends our capacity to know 

the truth and explores the transcendental of truth, goodness, and 

beauty. It explains the way of life that rational beings should follow. 

In the study of logic, it prepares and strengthens the mind to analyze 

arguments, and distinguish truth from falsity. 

 
ENDNOTES 

1 Fatiou A. S. “Plato’s Philosopher King in the Political Thought of the Sixth 

Century Byzantine”. Florilegium Vol. 7 1985 p. 3 
2 Monday L. Igbafen. Foundation Issues in Social and Political Philosophy: An 

Introductory Reader, Ekpoma: A. Inno Printing Press, 2013, p.30. 
3 Ndubisi J.O ‘The Role of Philosophy in Contemporary Society: The Nigerian 

Experience’ Humanity & Social Sciences Journal 10 (1): 2015. 40 
4 Staniland H. S. “What is Philosophy” Issues & Problems in Philosophy, 

Kolawole Owolabi, (Ed.). Ibadan: Stevart Graphics 2000 p. 3 
5  Lawhead, William. The Voyage of Discovery: A Historical Introduction to 

Philosophy, 2nd Edition America 2002 Print xxv 
6 Izibili, Matthew. Readings in Philosophy, Ekpoma: Zibnice Press, 2009, p. 4 

                                                           



16    |      Ekpoma Review, Volume. 5 No. 1., 2019 

 

                                                                                                                                  
7  Aso William. Rudiments of Philosophy for Undergraduates; Lagos. Fropiel 

International Ltd 2018, p. 3 
8 Kolawole Owolabi ‘The Nature and Problems of Epistemology’ Issues & 

Problems in Philosophy, Kolawole Owolabi, (Ed.). Ibadan: Stevart Graphics 2000 

p 49 
9Olayinka Opafola ‘Basic Problems in Philosophy” ” Issues & Problems in 

Philosophy, Kolawole Owolabi, (Ed.). Ibadan: Stevart Graphics 2000 p. 31 
10  Enomah, Sylvester. The Nature of Metaphysics Vol. 1. Ibadan Bibis Press 1997, 

p. 11 
11 Izibili, Matthew. Readings in Philosophy Ekpoma: Zibnice Press, 2009, p.13 
12 Iroegbu Pantaleon. Metaphysics: The Kpim of Philosophy. Owerri, 

International Universities Press 1995, p. 22 
13 Ibid, p. 21 
14 Fadahunsi, Ayo.  Metaphysics: A Historical and Thematic Introduction. Ibadan: 

Hope Pub 2004, p. 9  
15 Omoregbe, Joseph. Epistemology (Theory of Knowledge): A Systematic and 

Historical Study. Lagos Joja Educational Research and Publishers 2013, p. vi 
16 ibid 
17  Jimoh, Anselm.  Certitude and Doubt: A Study Guide in Epistemology, Ibadan: 

Ebony Books & Kreations 2013, p.8 
18 Agidigbi, Blessing. Epistemology: Central Issues and Problems. Ibadan Kairos 

Publishing 2015, p. 2 
19 Asekhauno A. & Ogbenika, Gregory. ‘What Ethics is?’ The Substance of Ethics 

& Morality. Benin City. Justice Jeco Printing & Publishing Global 2017, p. 2 
20 Aso William. Rudiments of Philosophy for Undergraduates; Lagos. Fropiel 

International Ltd 2018, p. 107 
21 Izibili, M. Classics in Ethical Discourses: A Selection of Figures. Benin City: 

Optima  Quality Print Limited 2018, p. 3 
22 Izibili, Matthew. Professional Ethics: A Reader. Benin City Lucosem Pub. 

2016, p. 2-3 
23 Aso William. Rudiments of Philosophy for Undergraduates, p.123. 
24 Adeniyi O. R ‘The Nature of Logic’ Issues & Problems in Philosophy Kolawole 

Owolabi (Ed.) Stevart Graphics 2000 p. 135 
25 Aso William. Rudiments 

 of Philosophy for Undergraduates, p. 124-125 
26 Australia Catholic Bishops Conference, Programm for Priestly Formation 2015 

n. 1 
27 ibid 
28 Decree on the Training of Priests Vatican II Optatam Totius 28 October, 1965. 

n.15 
29 ibid 
30 Ratio Fundamentalis Institutionis Sacerdotalis: A Publication of the Catholic 

Secretariat of Nigeria. n. 51 
31Gleghorn, Michael, ‘Why We Shouldn’t Hate Philosophy’ https://bible.org 

article. Retrieved 29th November 2018. p. 1 



Philosophy, Human Formation and the Contemporary World     |    17 

 
                                                                                                                                  
32 John Paul II. Fides et Ratio: An Encyclical. Ibadan: Pauline Publications 14 

September 1998, n 107. 
33 Ndubisi J.O ‘The Role of Philosophy in Contemporary Society: The Nigerian 

Experience’ 

Humanity & Social Sciences Journal 10 (1): 2015, p40 
34 Ibid  
35 Ibid p 40 
36 Ibid. p. 43 
37 Ibid. p. 43 
38 Ibid p.44 
39 Ibid p.44 
40 Ibid. p.44 
41 Ibid. p.44 


