

2 Using these tools, philosophy enlightens humanity, encourages open mindedness and broadens our sensibilities and sensitivity to the ideas of tolerance cooperation and compassion among others. The Logic tool on the other hand adds to human capacity the means of proving valid or invalid arguments through the general principles and techniques of good reasoning to the communication or articulation of ideas via the use of symbols. Ayer, “a Philosopher who has no mastery of language would be as helpless as a mathematician who could not handle numerals …” 1 Through the language tool, the student and lay readers of philosophy are capacitated with a good command of language of communication to achieve clarity of thought, analysis of ideas and cognitive advantage over nature. This essay uses the two principal tools of philosophy namely language and Logic to deploy philosophical expertise and mastery for every day existential value. The primary purpose of this essay is to deconstruct this primordial conception of philosophy, providing insight into its nature not only as an aspect of the general human (intellectual) endeavor to acquire self-knowledge, i.e., knowledge of the human person in relation to the environment in which her/his activities takes place, but also to make the philosophical enterprise accessible not only to students making a fresh contact with the discipline our the Universities but also the lay persons who are interested in self-understanding, liberation and critical evaluation of the perennial ideas of human existence. This misconception accounts for the relatively unknown status and value of philosophy in contemporary society. Understood in this sense, philosophy remains feared and misunderstood and left for idle speculators. Philosophy is first known to many as an academic discipline that is not only esoteric and accessible only to the initiated, but a play with language, a pastime of the idle or the misguided and good for nothing individuals that do not add value to the economy of any nation. Philosophy and the Making of Africa/Nigeria
