USA Africa Dialogue Series - The Ala Earth Ethics and Its Potentials

The Ala Earth Ethics and Its Potentials 

By

Lawrence Ogbo Ugwuanyi, Ph.D

 

Paper Presentation for  SIP-Lecture Series Scheduled for February 6, 2024

University of Tubingen

Germany 

Abstract

The focus of my presentation is on how the notion of environment can lead to additional ethical thoughts that serve but go beyond the environmental good. Ala is an environmental ethics  in the Igbo-African world. My claim is that the extant ethical theories and principles have some challenges which can be overcome through an engagement with the ethical views that are embedded in the notion of Ala. I begin by mapping out some challenges in extant theories and practices of ethics which I consider to be exclusivist, conflicting, alienating and fundamentalist. I explain the conflict of virtues that arise from this scenario and how the notion of ethics harboured by Ala has the potential to lead to a different ethical orientation and outcome. I explore the four principles embedded in Ala namely-peace, power, authority and morality-suggesting how they provide grounds for a fresh ethical thought. I characterize these as comprehensive ethics that makes harmony and equilibrium core ethical principles and how this minimizes the challenges offered by extant ethical theories and principles. To achieve these objectives I: (i) Revisit some challenges of extant ethical beliefs and principles; (ii) Articulate the Ala belief and the ethics emanating therefrom;(iii) Explain how Ala amounts to an environmental ethics with wider and deeper ethical value;(iv) Elaborate this with wider potentials of Ala Earth ethics.

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Here  is  the ZOOM-Link:

 

https://zoom.us/j/99385309458?pwd=MldxenJaOUhiYnhUOHFtVVlCb1k2UT09

Lawrence Ogbo Ugwuanyi, Ph.D is a Professor of African Philosophy and Thought at University of Abuja (since 2011). He is Director of the new Centre for Philanthropism and Social Innovation  of the University of Abuja and  founder, Centre for Critical Thinking and Resourceful Research in Africa (www.cectraafrica.org) devoted to African Self-understanding. He has 30 years teaching experience in Nigeria, Zimbabwe and The Gambia and  has held visiting and research offices in South Africa (2005); Zimbabwe (2014);  Edinburgh (2021); Cambridge (2023) and  Germany(2023). Ugwuanyi has over  60 academic publications and is published in South African Journal of Philosophy, Religions, Theoria, Southern Journal of Philosophy, African and Asian Studies and Revista de Estudios Africanos. His research seeks to uncover, discover and recover the autonomy and relevance of African thought scheme and he brings this to engage the fundamentals of thought, environment; humour, ethics and modernity.