National Association of Philosophy Students (Nigeria)

Article extracted from the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy

Evolution is not so much a modern discovery as some of its advocates would have us believe. It made its appearance early in Greek philosophy, and maintained its position more or less, with the most diverse modifications, and frequently confused with the idea of emanation, until the close of ancient thought. The Greeks had, it is true, no term exactly equivalent to " evolution"; but when Thales asserts that all things originated from water; when Anaximenes calls air the principle of all things, regarding the subsequent process as a thinning or thickening, they must have considered individual beings and the phenomenal world as, a result of evolution, even if they did not carry the process out in detail. Anaximander is often regarded as a precursor of the modem theory of development. He deduces living beings, in a gradual development, from moisture under the influence of warmth, and suggests the view that men originated from animals of another sort, since if they had come into existence as human beings, needing fostering care for a long time, they would not have been able to maintain their existence. In Empedocles, as in Epicurus and Lucretius, who follow in Hs footsteps, there are rudimentary suggestions of the Darwinian theory in its broader sense; and here too, as with Darwin, the mechanical principle comes in; the process is adapted to a certain end by a sort of natural selection, without regarding nature as deliberately forming its results for these ends.

The official version of this article is located at http://unibadan.humanists.net/is_religion_the_foundation_for_m2.htm

Some apologists of Religion have posited that morality is one of the factors for keeping Religions. According to them, man is a religious being and any attempt at obliterating this “religious genetic make-up” will spell doom for the society.

After the killings at Columbine High School ins the Littleton, Colorado. Gay Bamer, a religious right Presidential-Candidate posited that if bible and prayer were returned to the schools in USA, the violence would cease.

The official version of this article is located at http://unibadan.humanists.net/female_genital_mutilation.htm

An unmagnanimous life beset the African woman for all she stands for has been twisted into a thick chord of mishap and reverse by those who see themselves as the gate-keepers cum custodians of retrogressive practices decorated as traditions.

The feminine image is accursed by this inglorious life of servitude and sexual subjugation masquerading as culture and often labeled creeds by some who irrationally held on to such antihuman attitudes.

The September Intellectual Discourse was tagged “Is there Life After Death”. The programme was dedicated to the honour of the first president of Senegal, Leopold Sedar Senghor. The programme was an interactive session with comments from a pastor (a PhD student of philosophy). Mr Eze Ebisike was around to present a paper and he really touched so many people with his wits and good sense of humour. The events was held on Tuesday, September 13, 2005 at the Mellanby Hall SCR of the University of Ibadan, Ibadan. The occasion was also used to discuss the Abolition of Death Penalty to serve as a rallying points for our positions various comments were taken and I know Mr Eze shall gather all the points together so that we can submit a position in order to mark this years’ UN Day for the Abolition of Death Penalty.

On August 3rd 2005, the Ibadan University Humanist Society (IUHS) and the Nigeria Humanist Society (NHM) organized a symposium themed: “Why I Don’t Need Religion: Religion and the Death of Reason”. The symposium and Book Exhibition was held at the Students Union SRC Chambers of the University of Ibadan in Nigeria.

The programme was intellectually enriching as many people came to witness positions been position both in support and against religious concepts. In a university where religious fundamentalism is the other of the day, the IUHS symposium was an eye opener for people with inclinations for rational inquiry. Representatives of the muslims and the christians were invited to expound on reasons for religion while our own humanist scholars, Eze Ebisike the chair of the Nigeria Humanist Movement (NHM) and the Executive Secretary of NMH, Leo Igwe were on ground to present the humanist view on the theme.

The election of the council of the Transhumanist Students Network was held last week for the two co-chair positions of the organization and our own Peter Adegoke the current president of the University of Ibadan chapter of NAPS emerged as one of the two co-chair with Tomás Arribas as his partner.