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Apr 2nd, 2009 - 05:02:27 |
Ruth Kithei
EEIU Nabuur Participates at the 3rd East African Health and Scientific Conference (25th – 27th March 2009).
Prof. Nelson Sewankambo presented a paper on “Rethinking Health in a Changing Environment. He lectures at Makerere University (Uganda), College of Health Sciences. Of the most favourable quotations was his observation that ‘whoever wishes to investigate medicine properly should proceed thus: in the first place consider the seasons of the year, and what effects each of them produces for they are not all alike”.
That climate change is an MDG issue (#7. Ensure Environmental Sustainability) but many of African countries have failed to engage enough resources in tackling issues of health. There is need for more money and more so, people who know what they are doing. Sewakambo recommends a three – fold approach: Act ethically and responsibly; more needs to be known – from health research to research for health; and Multi – sectoral engagement with community participation.
Dr.Andrew Githeko of the Kenya Medical Research Institute -Center for Global Health Research – presented a paper on Climate Change and Human Health. He was concerned with the spread of viral, bacterial and parasitic diseases due to climate change, insisting that anthropods that transmit diseases cannot regulate their internal temperature. The warmer it is, the faster the parasite, bacteria and virus develops. Githeko observed that for many diseases, the lower range of transmission is between 14° - 18° C, highlighting that climate sensitive infections are Rift Valley Fever and Malaria as in the case for East Africa, Lyme Borreliosis as in the case of North America and West Nile Fever as in the case of Europe.
The Vice President (Kenya), Hon. Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka talked of his experience at the Climate Change conferences in Buena thereby proving that the leadership knows of the problem, but prioritization of the agenda is still weak. He agreed that climate change is an MDG issue and informed that China has reported to be at par with the U.S.A. in terms of green house gas emissions. That Nairobi does not represent the true culture of Kenya, and visitors need to travel to other counties to really know what effects are in place.
Dr. Kizito Lubano who was the conference coordinator gave an interesting talk on Climate Change: Global risk, Challenges and Decision. He identified that African countries are among most vulnerable states in the world due to high poverty level and heavy reliance on climate sensitive sectors. As much as many indicators of climate change have been highlighted, Kizito insisted that everyone of us adds to climate change through our different activities.
The Minister for East African Community in Kenya, Hon. Kefa Kingi observed that as the EAC integration deepens, there comes a need for organisations within the region to work together and develop common agendas.
The conference then broke into thematic sessions where EEIU Nabuur was represented at the seminars for Water and Sanitation; Climate Change and Food Security; Multi – Sectoral Collaborations and Partnerships; Environment and Health; HIV/AIDS; and Malaria symposium.
After the EEIU Nabuur Chair presented his paper on “Ethical Implications of Climate Change on Food Security”, the delegation was spread into the various units, to learn, explore and interact with other researchers from various organisations that were represented at the conference.
Dr. Njoroge Kimani, a medical practitioner at the Kenyatta National Hospital made a presentation concerning “Environmental Pollution and Impact to Human Health” where he informed of the environmental toxicants thereby agreeing that all human beings at all ages are susceptible to environmental toxins, but the young, the elderly and those with compromised health due to illness are more vulnerable. In his case study report of Dandora (8km away from the city center and occupies about 30 acres of land) he noted that respiratory abnormalities are high. Appropriate interventions included : reduce waste generations, sort garbage at source and be advocates for safe environment.
Ms. Keter L. K of KEMRI gave a preliminary study report of toxic heavy metals in a Kenyan herbal medicine. She observed that the popularity and availability of the traditional remedies have generated concerns regarding safety, efficiency and quality of traditional remedies. That the most common and documented reason to toxics in herbal medicine is the presence of pathogens noting that several studies have revealed that herbal remedies contain high levels of heavy metals such as Hg, Ne, Cd, Pb, As, Cv, Se and Zn sufficient to cause adverse health effects when taken regularly as recommended.
Speaker of the legislative assembly for the East African Community, Hon. Abdirahim H. Abdi was not available to present his paper, which was read on his behalf. He enlightened on the role of EAC regional inter – parliamentary forum on health, population and development in regional health sector intervention. His paper gave a history of the formation of the East Africa Legislative Assembly (in 2001) thereby highlighting some of its key mandates to be: improve the quality of life; Encourage availability and accessibility of services; Monitor economic growth; Sensitize the community on the direction of future integration of East Africa.
He informed that the forum health, population and development was launched in 2007 but is not effective due to cultural diversity, lack of budget and that the issues discussed need national referendum (due to different interpretation at individual countries).
As a way to promote regional approach to environmental concerns, Dr. Moe Ko Oo from China, presented a paper on Mekong Basis Disease Surveillance. In his concern, he deeply showed the structural framework of how their organisation works (an amalgamation of China, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. That this project was initiated by the Ministry of Health in China with an MOU of five other states. Its vision has been to reduce morbidity caused by outbreak-prone priority diseases with a mission to strengthen national and sub-regional capabilities in infectious disease surveillance and outbreak response, especially for priority diseases, to rapidly and effectively control them.
Dr. Moe explained that the nature of avian flu in the region highlighted the need for close collaboration.
Another intriguing presentation was made by Ms. Marjorie Pollak, M.D. from United States of America. She was basically informing about ProMed (www.promedmail.org), how they keep the world alert and the need for close collaboration. That 75% of diseases in the last 20 years have been species jumps from zoonotic infections. We live in a global village where microbes do not need visas to cross borders. It is therefore important to note that informal sector reports can lead to formal sector investigations.
Dr. Klaus J. Hornetz, the coordinator of Kenya – German Relations gave a topic within the realm of Climate Change and Health, a special concern to “Development Partner Perspective’. His paper steered absolute criticism from Prof. Ratemo Michieka, Ph.D and other EEIU delegates with concern that African countries are ill prepared to respond to the effects of climate change. This was found rather insulting, but he elaborated that long term mechanisms for response are poorly structured, and not only Africa has this problem, but in developed countries as well.
Hon. Beth Mugo, the Kenyan Minister for Public Health and Sanitation hosted the researchers and delegates to a dinner where we all celebrated the deepest decline of Malaria in Kenya. She elaborated on her visit to Swaziland (South Africa) where they are free from Malaria, and gave Kenya a target and hope that this is possible, if all goes to plan, Kenya will be free from Malaria in 2014. Projects are in place and we are doing fine.
The most memorable presentation was that Kenya is importing considerable amount of electronic waste, some of them arrive as donations for the poor while some are mislabeled. There is a need to develop proper policies that Bamako convention (as organised by African Union) has failed to put a check upon.
The conference ended with a vote of thanks from Hon. Dr. Batilda Burian, Minister for Environment from the United Republic of Tanzania, she termed the organisation a success and urged all delegates to use road as a means of transport when traveling back to their home countries. That there is more we need to see and appreciate, that some of the East Africans know little about their ecology, they read what has been published by tourists, yet they are the one’s to be concerned.
Nov 17th, 2007 - 05:11:06 |
Ruth Kithei
The world philosophy day 2007 was Chaired by Dr.h.h. Boaz Adhengo
REPORT OF ACTIVITIES
The Institute for African Ecology and Philosophy Committee on Teaching, in cooperation with the Project Nabuur Institute Teachers sponsored a seminar on World Philosophy Day at the Diani Beach, Mombasa on the 14th of November, 2007. The seminar was conducted in conjunction with the UNESCO Conference and Workshop. The IEAP was able to provide modest support to the graduate students who attended, Ms Fauzia Makena of Sokoinne University, conducted the seminar, as she has on previous occasions.
Dr.h.h. Boaz Adhengo, President of IAEP, and Peris Kamau, Chair of the IAEP Committee on Teaching, selected the 16 participants from over 30 applicants.
The papers presented in this seminar dealt with many of these issues. They made se of long-term economic and demographic data series, original methodologies of philosophical research and provided cross-cultural and comparative perspectives. The seminar consisted of seven sessions, covering such issues as household context and mortality outcome, migration as demographic mechanism, philosophy in practice and the mediating role of Philosphy Development Committees.
Resolutions Made :
1. There was the establishment of the Philosophy Development Committee for World Philosophy Day Initiatives in Kenya, authorized to collaborate with the Gigiri Offices and the National Commission.
2. The committee was adviced to seek permission to use the UNESCO letter head on its initiatives for World Philosophy Days
3. It was agreed that the committee will be consisted of not more than fifteen persons.
4. That the committee will work towards raising its own funds for the celebration of World Philosophy Days in Kenya
By launching the Philosophy Development Committee, IAEP wishes to contribute to education on philosophy at a time when dialogue and exchange must be disseminated at unprecedented scale, echoing the voice of the folk sages, traditional philosophers throughout the nation who share and defend the values of freedom of thought, of critical reflection and dialogue, working thus in favour of peace – a peace that should be safeguarded, re-thought and constructed.
Starting with a keynote lecture on “Dialogue: Between Whom, On What?”. Several round tables, tackling with various topics such as “The Philosophical Foundations of Peace and Human Rights: Where do we Stand?”, “Critical Perspectives of Current Trends of Subjectivism and Relativism and their Consequences”, or “Philosophy and its future”, was organized and attended by numerous philosophers from the different parts of Kenya. A round table was dedicated to the question “How Can Philosophy Development Committee Strengthen the UNESCO Initiatives?”
SUMMARY ON ICT FOR PHILOSOPHERS
By: Dr. Ali Abdullahi Taki
The History of Philosophy is primarily concerned with the study of mind material. The benefits of supporting studies in this area with computer-based methodologies has been demonstrated by a number of academic projects since the late 1950s. Philosophic historians recognized the research potential of the digital image even before the advent of bitmap display (vide The Morelli Project). Equally, they began investigating the use of databases for indexing and classification of visual material, as soon as these became available. One could have expected that these pioneering applications would have enticed the subject community at large to routinely use digital technology in art and philosophy studies. Despite the advancement in user-friendly computing, this has not been the case in mainstream History of Art: digital methods are being forced rather then adopted out of recognition of their research potential and enhanced standards. . This seminar sought to address the opportunities and problems of ICT-based research from this perspective, and in particular:
• The development and application of computer-based analytical tools for philosophical historians.
• Dissemination and sustainability of computer-based research.
A considerable effort was made prior to this seminar, to establish whether the concerns of the organizers and speakers are shared by other philosophic historians. The views of a number of scholars known for their innovative use of technology were solicited. These included: researchers known to have authored computer-based art projects delivered as multimedia or in another unconventional format, including past and current PhD students
Jun 24th, 2007 - 10:06:03 |
Ruth Kithei
13-15 June 2007
Nyeri and Isiolo , KENYA
Seminars on World Philosophy Day 2007
After months of intensive prepartion the IAEP seminar on public education and information about World Philosophy Day took place between June 13-15 2007. The organizers and participants felt it was a pressing issue, since very few communities are aware of the celebrations that usually take place towards the end of the and yet, without the participation of the general public, development policies cannot be successful in improving neighborhoods and living conditions.
Participants brought with them experiences in specific programmes, some more on education or awareness raising, some more on campaigning and monitoring . As the written introduction to the seminar said, "It is crucial at this stage in the policies and democracy debates that the relatively small circle of well-informed, active organisations is expanded to include organisations that are knowledgeable on educational issues and practices. In the context of democracy and monitoring discussions, 'training' and 'education' are emerging with such frequency and, in some cases lack of content, that they take on the appearance of buzzwords."
The conference was organized by IAEP (Institute for African Ecology and Philosophy) and the Project Nabuur Initiative for Standup Campaign Against Poverty.
The key aims were at the end of the seminar to have a better understanding and ideas on:
* Methods of education on philosophy
* The context in which educational programmes on Philosophy should be conveyed to the general public
* Who should be the participants in such programmes
* Who should be giving them
* Where they should be given
* The content of such educational programmes.
Some 45 people took part in the seminar. Most are active in the Project Nabuur Standup Against Poverty Campaign Network. About one third came from political unions, women workers' groups and networks, and worker education bodies. These included participants from Muranga, Othaya, Kangema, Karatina, Nyahururu, as well as the communities bordering the Ethiopia - Kenya . There were also representatives of the Skeptics and students' movements in the USA , several researchers and the interpreters, without whom the work would have been impossible! The vast majority of participants were women. A full participant list as well as a the programme can be found at the Project Nabuur website, http://humanism.meetup.com/1
The conference organizers were very happy to bring together such a wide range of organisations and individuals with a wealth of experience in the field of campaigning on corporate responsibility for volunteer participation on World Philosophy Day 2007 business, and were disappointed, though, that no organisations from Western Kenya or Somalia were present, despite efforts.
The aims and agenda of the seminar, and suggestions for participants and outputs, had been drawn up by an international steering committee who had put in a lot of effort over a number of months by means of email and fax. The organisers were especially grateful to three – Salim Ongwae, Samson Mochoge and Fauzia Makena - who gave a lot of advice and ideas and yet were not able to attend.
A separate resource guide listing materials that participants brought along or that were suggested while preparing the seminar can also be found at the end of the report (posted in our website from where many of the materials mentioned in the report can be downloaded).
articipants noted that funding and resources remains a problem. Most workers can afford to contribute very little. International funding for worker education programmes is insecure. Aid agencies usually refuse, saying it is the business of the trade unions. We need to argue our case.
Many participants felt strongly that public education programmes on philosophy day must not be controlled by academic institutions. One suggested that academic institutions financial contributions might only be acceptable through third parties. Another stressed the importance of not letting ourselves be pressured by academic institutions at the community level, but taking our own time and following our own agenda.
The participants concluded that this seminar was an important opportunity to build on existing partnerships and establish new ones. The participants gained a much deeper understanding of the work of each other's community based organisations, including between Religious Institution and the Government.
There was a suggestion for a follow-up seminar, to come up with more concrete proposals about World Philosophy Day Celebrations in Kenya . IAEP announced a linked seminar on philosophy and law in August 2007, to which they are inviting lawyers with experience in international law to comment on the nature of our proposed education strategy on World Philosophy.
This report was written by Dr.h.h. Boaz Adhengo, who is the Founder and Chair of IAEP( Institute for African Ecology and Philosophy) and editor on Secular Philosophy in the Global Institute, with special thanks also to the International Association of Political Science Students (IAPSS) and the International Federation of International Student Organisations (IFISO)
May 20th, 2007 - 05:17:48 |
Ruth Kithei
A project is a temporary endeavor undertaken to achieve a particular aim and to which project management can be applied, regardless of the project’s size, budget, or timeline.
WHAT IS PHILOSOPHY:
by Prof. Sinnott Armstrong
Well, what do you think philosophy is? Most people can't answer this question. It's too abstract. It's also controversial. Philosophers themselves can't agree on any answer. Sure, the name "philosophy" derives from the Greek for "love of wisdom", but what's that? There has been a long and glorious history of people called philosophers, but they talk about all kinds of topics in all kinds of ways. It is not clear what, if anything, they have in common that makes them all philosophers.
Still, though many philosophers would dispute what I say, I will give you one model of philosophy. For me, philosophy is defined by a goal and a method.
Philosophy's goal is nothing less than a systematic world view. Other fields study particular kinds of things. Philosophy asks how it all fits together. For example, if you want to learn about bodies, take a course in physics or biology. If you want to learn about minds, take a course in psychology. But if you want to learn about how minds are related to bodies, or how physics is related to psychology, then philosophy (of mind) is for you. Similarly, economics, political science, and art and music courses study different values (welfare, justice, and beauty). Then moral philosophers ask how these values are similar or different, when one may be traded off against another, and where any of these values fit into the physical world. Again, historians try to discover knowledge of the past and astronomers try to discover knowledge of stars and planets, but only philosophers ask what makes any of these beliefs knowledge, and how (or whether) we can have any knowledge at all. Such philosophical questions are very abstract, but that is what enables them to cover so many different fields at once.
This goal also means that you can study anything under the name of philosophy. Philosophy encompasses subfields called philosophy of religion, of law, of economics, of biology, of physics, of mathematics, of computers, of psychology, of art, of music, of literature, and so on. Any and all of these topics can be studied in a philosophical way when one asks how they are related to each other in an overall world view.
When such disparate topics are raised, conflicts and paradoxes are bound to arise. One famous example is the paradox of freedom: Science, including psychology, leads us to believe that (1) Every act is determined by a prior cause. Law and common practices of blaming and punishing wrongdoers then lead us to believe that (2) Some acts are free. But the very definition of "free" suggests that (3) Nothing that is determined is free. Unfortunately, (1)-(3) cannot all be true, so any world view that includes all three of these claims is incoherent.
Paradoxes like this are both loved and hated by philosophers. Philosophers love them for their stimulation but hate them for their incoherence, so philosophers try hard to get rid of paradoxes. One prevalent way to resolve paradoxes is conceptual analysis. In response to the paradox of freedom, for example, some philosophers try to analyze freedom in a way that makes it compatible with determinism and thereby undermines (3). Other philosophers give accounts of blame and punishment that do not presuppose freedom, so they can reject (2). Still others analyze determinism and causation in ways that cast doubt on (1). One of these claims has to go. Conceptual analysis tries to help us decide which claim to give up.
The method of conceptual analysis might sometimes seem picky, but unclarity or imprecision in our concepts is often what leads us into paradoxes and incoherence in our world views. That is why the philosophical goal of a coherent overall world view makes philosophers adopt the method of conceptual analysis.
Philosophers use other methods as well. Many philosophers employ empirical discoveries in psychology, biology, and physics to illuminate traditional philosophical issues. (Can our moral beliefs be understood as a product of evolution?) Others use formal developments in logic and mathematics. (Does the incompleteness of arithmetic, proven by Gödel, show that computers cannot think in the way humans do?) Still others turn to literature and first-person narratives to express their ideas. (Is the position of oppressed groups best understood by listening to their own stories?) Since it is puzzling how the abstract world of numbers or the lived world of personal experience is related to the physical world of subatomic particles, the variety of methods used by philosophers reflects the issues that must be faced in formulating a coherent overall world view.
One feature is shared by almost all methods used by philosophers: Philosophers question authorities. Whereas legislators or judges have the authority to declare what the law is, and specific texts determine what is required by some religions, philosophers do not grant any special authority to anyone or anything. Every claim, no matter where it comes from, is subject to scrutiny. Even common sense is not taken for granted, which leads philosophers to put forward some very weird views.
In place of authorities, philosophers try to justify their views with arguments. Indeed, philosophers love arguments. One of the earliest examples of philosophy was an argument by Zeno, which runs like this: "The slow runner [a tortoise] will never be overtaken by the swiftest [Achilles], for it is necessary that the pursuer should first reach the point from which the pursued started, so that necessarily, the slower is always somewhat in advance." If you think about it for a while, Zeno's argument should be clear. What is not clear is how to respond. One popular reaction is, "That's silly. Of course, Achilles can overtake a tortoise. It happens all the time." Philosophers retort, "Everybody assumes that Achilles can overtake the tortoise, and it does appear that swift runners overtake slow runners, but how do you know what is really going on? And what is wrong with Zeno's argument to the contrary? You cannot reject the argument just because you don't like the conclusion." In such debates, philosophers try to uncover our basic assumptions, evaluate our reasons (if any) for these assumptions, and speculate on what our world view would be like if we gave up those assumptions. This process can be liberating and fascinating, even when (or maybe because) it leads to results that seem hard to believe.
In seeking this goal through these methods, philosophers address a wide variety of problems, which can be classified into three main areas:
Metaphysics or the theory of existence addresses the questions of whether God exists, whether we have free will, how our minds are related to our bodies, what reality is, and so on. Epistemology or the theory of knowledge asks whether and how we can know or be justified in believing anything; and it also investigates particular areas or sources of (supposed) knowledge, such as perception, memory, and science. Ethics or moral philosophy studies which acts are morally right or wrong and which people or character traits are morally good or bad; then other values, such as beauty, are studied in other areas of value theory, such as aesthetics. Some of the most exciting philosophical issues (such as those raised by existentialists, phenomenologists, feminists, and philosophers of language) do not fit neatly under any of these traditional categories.
True philosophers will not rest until they combine theories about all of these various topics into a single coherent system of thought that is justified without appeal to authority. Because this ideal is so demanding, the process of doing philosophy can be frustrating, but it is also something that can fill and fulfill one's entire life.
Jan 11th, 2007 - 01:33:05 |
Ruth Kithei
IHEU member organization Humanist and Ethical Union of Kenya organized its third annual conference this year, from May 23rd to 25th at Serena Hotel, Nairobi. It was a resounding success! From an initial ‘toe in the water’ plan for 25 undergraduates to meet up and discuss papers, the conference grew to a grand total of 50 undergraduates from three countries and 20 universities, four postgraduate respondents, and one internationally-renowned speaker, Hon. Raila Odinga, Chairman for the Liberal Democratic Party of Kenya.
We were extremely lucky to open the event with a great keynote from Professor Walter Wanyande of Nairobi University. His paper ‘New directions in Leadership’, about the emerging trends and future of politics in general, and ontology in particular, set an accessible but challenging tone for the conference. We benefited from Professor Kiamba’s presence and comments through the weekend.
The main focus and purpose of HEUK 2006 was the presentation and discussion of undergraduate papers. After our call for papers a couple of months earlier, HEUK received almost twice as many papers as we had slots available. With the very generous time and effort of our postgraduate and staff reviewers, we managed to whittle this down to just 14 papers of about 2,500 words each. Each author was given a 45 minute slot, a chair for their discussion, and a respondent who had read their paper through in advance, and had ideas on possible directions the open-floor discussion might take. This system proved very flexible, and resulted in the kind of debate that stretched presenters and probed their work in depth, but always made sure that non-specialists could gain, and contribute, a significant amount.
Before the conference, our 153 or so members voted for the subject areas they would like to hear papers in. They chose politics, epistemology and philosophy of science, moral and secular humanism, and logic and philosophy of language; and our presenters wrote on a diverse and stimulating range of topics from artificial intelligence to value realism, and identity to time and causation. We tried to ease attendees into what would otherwise be a daunting volume of material! Three sessions on Friday, after the keynote double-length session, each interspersed with liberal doses of tea and biscuits, got everyone into the swing of things before our four double-length two-paper sessions on Saturday. We know this worked, since not only were attendees still fresh and alert in the last session on Saturday evening, but they were also heard to still be arguing a few hours later, and even made it down in time to start the first session early on Sunday morning! This was one of the great advantages of having accommodation for attendees on-site.
To spice up the discussions, and make sure more experienced opinions were available in an advisory role, we invited several postgraduate and staff respondents to take part over the course of the weekend. Alongside Professor Wanyande, Kiamba (Commission for Higher Learning), Grace Ogot (Renowned story writer), Thomas Maitha (JKUAT PhD student and Chair of the National Postgraduate Analytic Philosophy Association) and Elizabeth Adhiambo (Nairobi PhD student) all made fantastic contributions. Each of our postgraduate respondents commented that the standard of papers was very high, and the discussions easily matched those at postgraduate conferences for depth and range. Our thanks go to them for their time and enthusiasm.
Of course, with such a busy academic schedule, socialising was always going to be important as well! As well as stopping for coffee breaks throughout the day, we tried to make sure there were social events for people to enjoy on the two nights. With the late college bar on Friday night, impromptu trips around Nairobi and its multi–purpose hall each lunchtime, and a meal out and wine reception on Saturday night, I think we achieved this admirably. So the hard-thinking was matched by some relaxed evenings together. The ultimate sign that we succeeded is that many of the attendees are still in touch!
Finally, the AGM needed to elect HEUK’s Chair for the 2006-7 session. Ann Wamboi was unanimously re-elected in this role. The union continues to grow, will hold more events next year, and looks forward to putting on HEUK 2006.
Our events are made difficult by the continuing apathy of the major funding bodies to Kenyan humanism in general. We were turned down by every major humanism funding body in the Sub–Sahara region. This conference only happened because of extensive private donation and the support of the Nairobi University. Thank you for aiding us in our third conference. The attendees joined the chair in issuing a special vote of thanks to the university – we really appreciated the NU stepping in when nobody else would, and hope the result justified the help!
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