The South Sudan Christian University of Science and Technology, Juba.
Faculty of Philosophy and Social Studies;
Department of Philosophy.
Author; Machiek Machiek Akuocpiir.
Publication date: 21/Feb/2018.
Think Properly Beyond Now: A Philosophy for Underage Children and Vulnerable Adults in Africa.
In more than 2000 years before up to the modern era, human beings strove for better ways to transform their lives. The struggle against ignorance, challenging hypocrisy of hypocrites (the unthinking ones), attaining the virtuous status as an intelligent being, and to question themselves what really is the worth life living? How do we live? How does man escape brutality? How can one attain a happy life, if there is vulnerability? Those questions and many more that are fundamental structured ways of life are recurring in everyone’s life.
The most important aspect of this is to teach these skills to children at an early age in order to familiarize themselves with the reality.
In that, Society is structured in a way that follows the status quo. This tendency held and is holding many people hostages of imperfect life. If really the elites of these societies cared much about a perfect, progressive, and intellectually composed state of mankind; they would devise a number of new forms of liberating people from the low level of critical thoughts, other than following subjectivity to or conformity to the old ways of doing things.
The philosophical mindset that I am introducing here is mainly meant for children and unfortunate adults who deserves to be freer, functional, and creative individuals or groups. However, the discipline of philosophy is as old as humanity itself. Every society has its philosophy that they live. These philosophies leads to histories and inventions which affects humans in some way. And that is what we have been witnessing for many centuries. It is what our ancestors witnessed….Therefore, someone new to philosophy or the one have not been exposed to this discipline may ask; what really is philosophy? And how does it benefit one or society as such? --Well, according to the Greeks, “philosophy is the love of wisdom.” A very precise and understandable answer. Isn’t it? Imagine if you are wise enough, tough and critical in your thoughts, won’t you be
Our African ancestors had their philosophies too. These has been buried inside each of us and we need to regrow them for the better. Be it in the inventions, creating great art or technology, we need them…. Therefore; to supplement the definition of philosophy further, according to University of Oxford philosopher, Simon Blackburn, “philosophy is human thought become self-conscious.” Its topics are life, the universe and everything. It include; all categories of religious, artistic, Scientific, mathematical and logical thought.” (2005).
In the subject matter of “Think Properly Beyond Now.” Which I define as; the philosophical consciousness in which the thinkers are self-critical of their existence beyond the common norms of life in society, to envision the state of future times. There is need for a complete adoption of this form of philosophical mindset in the beginnings of personal education which will be contrary to the conventional forms of education that were or are already being formulated in the given communities. This idea of “Think Properly Beyond Now,” will be a course in which an individual in society will have to stand on his/her feet in any path taken in life.
The following will be the subject matter of the course in African Philosophy to be taught from early age; 1. The child as a free being from birth 2. The cultural norms butcher the children 3. The children need to be free and intelligent 4. Becoming adults, but avoids vulnerability 5. A free being and the futurist who invents.
Hence; this is a philosophy of self-actualization, self-realization and self-overcoming in African context and its relation to the world. The five topics listed before will be the tasks to be undertaken in the “Think Properly Beyond Now”: A Philosophy for Underage and Vulnerable Adults in Africa.” In which one will have to recognize his/her short comings and possibly will bear with his/her methods of overcoming them.
The philosophic course, “Think Properly Beyond Now” will be a philosophy of the present and the future in African communities. This will resolve a great deal of the issues we face at individual or communal standards in Africa. Whether one may be politically inclined, traditionally groomed, or a free minded one; it will serve the same purpose for the children we will raise in our conventional schools, the adults that will make up our societies, whether fortunate or unfortunate. And even the rebellious ones to free thoughts enterprise, will fall short of their acts and become good and intellectually free minded.
Therefore; this paper basically, is in the category of African Philosophy. It is convenient for us not to adopt other philosophies for this purpose, however, we can keep our selves free minded in the conceptual integration of criticality for greater good. Through this, we will explore our history critically, our cultures, our governing institutions, and our own selves for the betterment. In that, the fore mentioned areas will be the coverage of the philosophy of “Think Properly Beyond Now”. A Philosophy for Underage Children and Vulnerable Adults in Africa. ” This form of philosophy will be opposed to all ethno philosophies of various communities. It will be the focal point of integration of these philosophies.
Suggestions for Citation: Machiek Machiek Akuocpiir, “Think Properly Beyond Now”: A Philosophy for Underage Children and Vulnerable Adults in Africa.” (2018).
References:
1. Simon Blackburn, Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy, Second Edition, 2005. Definition of philosophy to the first preface.
2. Ancient Greek definition of philosophy, since 6 BC.
