Complementary
Reflection,
African Philosophy and General Issues in Philosophy HOW
TO TEACH PHILOSOPHY TO MAKE IT RELEVANT
TO NIGERIAN STUDENTS By
Mesembe Ita Edet; M. A. Lecturer,
Department of Religion and Philosophy, Introduction: In 1989
the Nigerian Universities Commission (N.U.C) made the study of “Philosophy and
Logic” compulsory for all Nigerian undergraduates, irrespective of their major
areas of study in Nigerian Universities. After more than a decade it is necessary
for professional philosophers, teachers
of the subject, to take stock and access whether or not the teaching
and learning of philosophy has significantly impacted on the intellectual, moral
and political concerns in our culture and environment. It is my
view that academic philosophy in In this
introductory section the evidence for my assertions that “academic philosophy
in Nigeria ... is widely perceived to have become significantly separated from
other intellectual and moral concerns in our culture”, and that “academic philosophy
is generally perceived as irrelevant,
and held in low esteem in its isolation” is briefly
reviewed. I proceed to explain what “academic philosophy” involves and
then argue that why academic philosophy
in this country has become isolated is as a result of how some of its practitioners
have practiced professionally. It is my view that the challenge of relevance
faces us as professional philosophers and that in general our isolation will
not be overcome unless professionalism in philosophy and its teaching come to
be reconceived and its professional standards restructured. We need to re-evaluate
our role in relation to contemporary relevance. In
the final analysis I advocate the humble descension of philosophy from the “ivory
tower” to the “market place”. Oshita
Oshita reports an encounter with a colleague of his. According to him, A
post graduate colleague at the me
in 1986 that he was so frustrated when his Iqbo grand mother
rebuffed his choice of philosophy as a course of study
by cynically retorting ‘’Philo-giny?’’ In Iqbo, meaning philo
what? (Oshita,2001 :13). G.O.
Ozumba similarly reports his own experience when in the 1970’s he got admitted
to study philosophy. According to him, On
reaching home after the first semester my father confronted
me with the question ‘’What is this philosophy you
say you are studying?’’ Before I could fake an answer,
another question came in quick succession: “After
your study of philosophy what will you do?” I was completely
shattered. I looked around there was no known
philosopher close by to deliver me from the discouraging
questions (Ozumba, :2002:1). Long
before the experience of Oshita and Ozumba, Bertrand Russell in discussing the
value of the study of philosophy wrote, it
is the more necessary to consider this question in view
of the fact that many men, under the influence of science
or of practical affairs, are inclined to doubt whether
philosophy is anything better than innocent but
useless trifling, hair-splitting distinctions, and controversies
on matters concerning which knowledge
is impossible (Russell, 1974:89). In
my own experience as a teacher of philosophy of over twelve years, I have been
encountered by final year undergraduates of philosophy who came to ask me about
job prospects and career opportunities for a philosophy graduate. As a teacher
of ‘’Philosophy and Logic’’ at the General studies level to non-philosophy Nigerian
undergraduates of various disciplines, I have noticed that most of the students
consider the course an unnecessary extra burden which has been imposed on them
in addition to their major courses. To
one who is professionally occupied teaching philosophy, what is further immediately
noticeable is the absence from view of academic philosophy. Books by philosophers
are not readily available, even in the leading Book stores, one rarely sees philosophical articles reporting on
new developments published in reputable general intellectual and cultural journals,
except in strictly philosophical journals. These situations evidently justify
my initial assertions. What could account for this isolation of academic philosophy?
How ought professional philosophers react to the situation? These questions
will be addressed subsequently, but first let us clarify the concept of “academic
philosophy”. What
is Academic Philosophy? The inability
of professional philosophers to provide a univocal and generally accepted definition
of their discipline has not helped matters. Answering the question, “what is philosophy?” is so perennially tasking
that the uninitiated may regard this as a mark of the futility of philosophy
as an academic discipline. Worse still, unlike mathematics, biology
or sociology, the history of philosophy betrays the term “philosophy”
as highly contested with each philosopher providing his own definition. But
this is not to say that the term “philosophy” is indefinable. It only suggests
that there are many definitions of philosophy. We can provide a definition
of philosophy, but never the definition of philosophy which is able to
capture all that the term philosophy means. As Kwesi Wiredu rightly observes, Philosophy
is, indeed, a well-established subject, but
its issues are so riddled with controversy
that
there is hardly a single question to which there
can be said to be an established answer. Not
even on the question of what philosophy is, is
there agreement; and any definition is apt to
be personal (Wiredu, 1980 : 139). For our
purposes let us define philosophy simply as, what is taught and learnt in departments
of Philosophy. This definition may be criticized as inadequate as it violates
two fundamental rules of good definition: (i) A definition must state the essential
attributes of the term to be defined; (ii) A definition must not be circular
(see Ucheaga, 2001: 89). However, it helps us to make the point about “academic”
philosophy which we intend to make. But if
we must clarify our definition further, let us say that Philosophy is an academic
subject in Universities and other tertiary institutions of learning which aims
at the inculcation of ability of clear, logical and critical analysis of concepts
and issues; the avoidance of emotional or parochial indoctrination or superstitious
and irrational thinking and the development of the habit of seeking rationally
satisfactory answers to recurring life problems. Its traditional
branches are Epistemology, which deals
with questions concerning human knowledge; Logic, which teaches us to reason
correctly; Moral philosophy (Ethics), which has the morality of human actions
as the object of its study and Metaphysics which enquires into the nature of
reality as a whole. There are other branches and more recent dimensions of academic
philosophy which we shall come to see subsequently. Philosophical
inquiry in any of these branches is a quest for truth about crucial issues that
are often and perennially discussed by thoughtful men. These issues are crucial
not only because they are foundational, but also because they apply to more
than one field of inquiry. Academic philosophy is the systematic investigation
of the general principles that are the basis for all our knowledge and activity.
It differs from religious training because it seeks to avoid dogma and faith;
and it differs from scientific studies because it is willing to go beyond conclusively
established facts. From the
foregoing, it is important to note that academic philosophy is not concerned
with the acquisition or accumulation of a body of knowledge as such, but with
the development of a skill and an attitude; the skill of systematic, critical,
logical reflection, argumentation and documentation.
Academic philosophy is thus a very valuable subject of study thus: There is
need to distinguish between “academic” philosophy and “philosophy” generally
because there is a sense in which every body is a “philosopher” of some sort.
Omoregbe explains thus, In a certain
sense, that is, in a loose sense, every man
is a philosopher in as much as every man at one time
or another in the course of his life reflects on some
of the fundamental philosophic questions about human
life or about the physical universe. At funerals, for example,
or at the sight of a dead body, or in the face of
suffering, sickness, pain, misery, etc., men are apt to reflect
on the meaning and value of human life. (Omoregbe,
1985 : 4). Kwesi Wiredu
and P. O. Bodunrin do not accept this rather loose sense of designating a philosopher.
Bodunrin insists that a “professional philosopher” must receive proper training
and be able to apply the tools and methods of modern philosophizing (see Bodunrin;
1984 :2–23). It is my position then that the term “Professional philosophers”
refers to my colleagues professionally occupied teaching philosophy in Universities
and other tertiary institutions having being trained; and can be extended to
include their students, whether “philosophy majors” or “non-philosophy majors”
who are studying philosophy as an elective or at the General Studies level. In The
Isolation of Academic Philosophy Generally,
one may assume, groups of humans would not see themselves as relatively isolated
and with little influence, and then remain aloof and not do anything about their
situation. One then wonders why acknowledged leaders of the profession in These questions
would undoubtedly yield competing and largely incompatible answers among practitioners.
For example, some of my colleagues argue that philosophy in Nigeria has already
broken out of an earlier isolation, and cite as evidence the widely influential
essay of Late Peter Bodunrin on The Question of African Philosophy(1984)
or the no less influential effort of Innocent Onyewuenyi The African Origin
of Greek Philosophy: An Exercise In Afrocentrism. (1994). They argue that
Bodunrin, G. O. Sogolo, and Late Chuba Okadigbo have served the nation in various
capacities outside the confines of the academic world and performed creditably as philosophers in their various national
assignments. Others
have argued that “genuine philosophy”, systematic, respectably rigorous philosophic
thinking, like good mathematical or scientific thinking, has generally been
and must usually be inaccessible to those not either gifted in abstract thinking
and/or strenuosly trained; hence the “market place” philosophy which I advocate,
is “pseudo-philosophy,” weak, watered – down and over-simplified, usually supportive
of some popular ideology, and its
rejection by professional philosophers who insist on analytic rigour, logical
coherence and systematicity needs neither explanation nor sympathy. Others
argue that it is not the behaviour of a small sect of intellectuals which is
to blame, but rather broad cultural and environmental forces which discountenance
not just philosophy, but all the “humanities” as irrelevant in a global age
of science and technology. Yet others attribute the non-recognition or appreciation
of philosophy to the high level of illiteracy and anti-intellectualism in Nigerian
society. My own
view is that there is something to each of these possibilities, but that none
disposes of all the issues or fails to need supplementation, at least, by the
view I propose to develop. My reaction to the argument that Bodunrin’s and Onyewuenyi’s
works were quite influential, is that the influence of these monumental essays
was limited to professional philosophical circles. Furthermore, whatever national
assignments or responsibilities Bodunrin, Sogolo or Okadigbo may have been assigned
or held, they were not given such assignments as philosophers qua philosophers.
Not many Nigerians realise that Chuba Okadigbo, who served as Senate President
of To the
argument that “genuine philosophy” ought to be so systematic and rigorous as
to be broadly inaccessible to majority, my response is that this conception
of philosophy is what accounts for the decline in the capability
of philosophy as practiced professionally to engage a larger audience
and acceptability in Nigeria. Granted that given the new extension of the empirical,
scientific approach to various disciplines, with the curriculum of disciplines
in constant flux, and new disciplines emerging and older ones struggling to
reorganize and regroup, there is a clear gain in acquiring academic autonomy
or separateness and shaping a professional structure around a disciplinary base,
so as to prevent the likelihood of possible disappearance or absorption. However,
in this country, professional philosophy has greatly cut itself off from “real
world problems” to devote attention to technical problems of interest only to
professional philosophers. Some Professional Philosophers in In
the Though
Wiredu (1988), a contemporary professional philosopher, acknowledges that “our
societies are being rapidly changed by industrialization, and if we wish to
understand this change and control
its direction, we must adopt new ways of thinking, a new outlook upon man, society
and nature ...” (p 61), and that “The philosopher can, and must, spear- head
this endeavour”, he goes on to say that the “intellectual productions” of the
philosopher are bound to be largely alien to most of his people”. Wiredu, in
obvious justification of technical philosophizing, opines that the fact that
“abstract and critical thinking about the foundations of human thought and practice
is alien to the common man anywhere, suggests how remote the contemporary philosopher
will be from their comprehension.” (p.61). Wiredu
further declares: I would
like to stress the importance of technical studies
in the field of philosophy. It is only the philosopher who
has attained competence in technical research and is at
home in the most abstract regions of his subject who can speak
with the clearest voice to the non-specialist public when the
time comes. Philosophical issues
have a habit of getting intertwined
with one another. Thus although a devotion to such
a question as the nature of meaning or entailment may not
seem immediately relevant to any human concerns, any thorough-going
attempt to construct, say, a moral theory is apt
sooner than later to come up against a problem of
that sort (p. 62). Wiredu
then advises that “... the African philosopher need not let superficial calls
for immediate relevance divert him from his studies. So long as he understands
the basic practical motivation of his discipline, he is well advised to seek
enlightenment in the most abstruse researches” (p. 62). In my view
Wiredu’s “advice” must be taken with some circumspection. It is the attitude
to professional philosophy which the likes of Wiredu advocate that justifies
the interest of some of my colleagues who have presented some of their researches
in recent academic journals under topics such as The Notion of “Objects”
In Wittgenstein’s Tractatus; (Uduigwomen, 2002, 95 - 102) The Concept
of Ego in J. P. Satre’s Existentialism (Ogar, 2003) or Epistemology From
the Existentialist Point of View (Ozumba, 2002: 83 - 93) and The
Plasticity of Moral Objectivity (Alabi, 2001). Although these essays are
well researched and articulately expressed, thus satisfying the conditions for
technical philosophy, they hold interest only to professional colleagues. In
my view, these are “ivory tower” philosophy, opposed to the “market place” philosophy
which I advocate. They fail the
test of contemporary relevance. For me, Philosophy is not a flight to the abstract
and the abstruse thereby obscuring and mystifying issues. Andrew Uduigwomen once warned against the danger of constituting
(African) philosophy into a “closed club” that only admits of “professional
philosophers” (Uduigwomen, 1996: 83). This warning still rings relevant.
The strategy of insisting on technical philosophy serves to have the effect
of worsening philosophy’s connection with any appreciable audience for its work.
In the
Furthermore,
in the To the
argument that cultural and environmental forces are to blame for the lack of
respect or appreciation of not just philosophy, but all the “humanities” in
a global age of science and technology, my reaction is that whereas this may
be an age of science and technology, man, humanity, remains the focus and locus
of all science and technology and it is the “humanities” particularly philosophy
that provides the ideas that guide science and technology. Man lives and moves
in a complex world, and this world must be understood, at all events in some
measure, in philosophy’s characteristically fundamental ways before informed
guidance can be offered. However, the humanities must rethink their role in
an age of science and technology and introduce some pragmatism in their disciplines.
Already theatre studies, literary studies, history, linguistics seem to be responding
to this necessity by participating in the “market place” and sustaining their
relevance. Wiredu,
in what seems to be some inconsistency or contradiction of his opinion on how
philosophy should proceed in its contributions admits that our situation in
...
sufficient to indicate certain important functions for the
African philosopher. He must let his voice be heard on
the question of what mode of social and political obligation
is best suited to our conditions, and he must take
active part, indeed, he must lead, in the reappraisal of
our traditional culture (1980 : p. 52). This is
a clarion call for professional philosophers to bring their skills and wares
to the “market place”. Philosophy
in the “Market Place” Technical
philosophy, to my mind is “ivory tower” philosophy and is the reason for the
lack of philosophical influence and appreciation in Nigerian society. “Market
Place” philosophy which I advocate in Nigeria is the application of the skill
in ability of clear, logical and critical reflection on the total experience
of the Nigerian or African, on the way or ways, for example, he perceives reality
and on his existential circumstances. In general, it explores the particular
way or ways the Nigerian experiences, conceives and interprets nature, his society,
religion, man, God, human conduct and so on. Philosophy is not a mysterious
eruption of concepts from outer space having no connection with our empirical
world even though they impinge upon it. Philosophy
in the “market place” will address concrete Nigerian existential problems. It
is pragmatic and prescriptive. By raising the simple questions: why is this
situation so?, or what ought to be the case?, and applying the philosophical
attitude in addressing the Nigerian condition by contribution to public debate
is enough to ignite the process of change. Many problems confront
Nigerians: the problem of how to organize or restructure Nigerian Society,
the problem of equitable and just distribution of the nations’ resources, poor
leadership, the problem of corruption in governance, poverty and illiteracy
of the people, the issue of national development, the
problems of disease and adequate health care, youth restiveness and violence,
unemployment, poor social and political culture, poor infrastructure and social
services, problems of scientific and technological development, environmental
pollution, problems of justice and the Nigerian legal system, materialism, religion
and issues of religious intolerance, and so on are all legitimate issues of
philosophical interest concerning which the Nigerian professional philosopher
ought to contribute and apply his professional skills. By demystifying philosophy
and participating in the “market place”, ie addressing concrete Nigerian existential
problems in his research and teaching, the professional philosopher in The point
made here is not that the professional philosopher in One other
point must be made here. The traditional idea that “philosophy bakes no bread”
is mistaken. Bertrand Russell expresses this erroneous sentiment when he writes
that, ... we
must first free our minds from the prejudices of
what are wrongly called “practical men”. The “Practical” man,
as this word is often used, is one who recognises only
material needs, who realizes that
men must have
food for the body, but is oblivious of the necessity of
providing food for the mind. If all men were well of, if
poverty and disease had been reduced to their lowest possible
point, there would still remain much to be done to
produce a valuable society; and even in the existing world
the goods of the mind are at least as important as
the goods of the body (Russell,
1974: 89). Russell
then declares, “it is exclusively among the goods of the mind that the value
of philosophy is to be found; and only those who are not indifferent to these
goods can be persuaded that the study of philosophy is not a waste of time”
(1974 : 89 – 90). Whereas
Russell could afford to pontificate
about the value of “goods of the mind” in How
to Teach Philosophy for The “Market Place” The
first consideration for professional philosophers, teachers of the subject,
is to find ways to “spruce up” the course to make it more relevant exciting
and enjoyable for students particularly at the introductory level, while still
philosophically rigorous. We must note that the overall purpose of the study
of philosophy for the non-major philosophers at the General studies level and
the philosophy “majors” is to try and develop in the students the actual facility
and skill by engaging in philosophical argumentation, analysis and criticism.
There
is need for a fundamental overhaul of the curriculum. There will still be research
and teaching on basic areas like logic, epistemology, metaphysics and ethics
but more attention must be paid to interdisciplinary areas like philosophy of
education, law, language, history, science, mathematics, art, social sciences,
religion, medicine and medical ethics, and so on and issues that have contemporary
relevance in these disciplines. The teacher must exhibit dynamism and innovativeness
in his choice of these issues. We
must note that an important function of philosophy is to foster inter- disciplinary
perspectives. Every discipline generates some essentially philosophical questions
about itself, and many questions about relations among different disciplines
are also philosophical. Both in exploring the interrelations among other disciplines
and in examining their methods of inquiry and their results, philosophy fulfils
a unique and important role as a metadiscipline. This is why I propose a greater
emphasis and focus on the interdisciplinary approach or strategy of teaching
philosophy, that is, the cultivation or inculcation of the ability of the student
of philosophy of clear, logical and critical analysis of concepts and issues
that are generated in these other disciplines and their interrelations. This
is what will make the student a “jack of all trade” and if he has cultivated
the facility adequately enough, a “master of all”. G.
O. Ozumba (2002) quotes R. J. Hirst as stating that, “the more one knows about
other subjects, the better one is likely to make substantial progress in philosophy”
(P. 20). Ozumba adds that, Any reasonable
advance in philosophical theory necessitates
all sorts of evidence drawn from several
fields. The more likely we are to know, the more
likely we are to get a proper and well balanced view
of reality. It is because of this that philosophy students
are encouraged to take elective courses from
other departments (2002 : 20). Chris
Nwamuo affirms the .need in contemporary times for the interdisciplinary approach.
According to Nwamuo, “today the world is emphasizing interdisciplinary research,
collaborative research and research partnerships...” (Nwamuo 2002:iv) Elsewhere,
Nwamuo states, “as disciplines in the humanities leap-frog conventional boundaries
and inter lock, the emerging frontiers should afford lively space for stimulating
debates, decision and final conclusion’’ (Nwamuo 2002:1). We
must note further that philosophy provides a unique and systematic approach
to normative issues. It .is sometimes thought that moral, social, aesthetic
and other value questions do or can receive adequate treatment ,in the social
sciences or perhaps in literature or history. These other disciplines, however,
do not claim to deal with normative questions in the way philosophers do. Philosophers
are generally competent to speak informatively on certain important aspects
of public policy issues which have normative aspects. This is why interdisciplinarity
must be emphasized. This
interdisciplinary approach must be adopted even for the non-philosophy ‘’majors”
at the General Studies level. The study of “Philosophy and Logic” must emphasize
the integral connection of philosophy with other disciplines and its contribution
to educational, cultural, environmental, social and political discussion. The
study of Logic must go with training in critical thinking. The course known
as Introduction to Logic in the The
study of African Philosophy in its various branches and the history of African
philosophy must also be taken more seriously and given greater attention and
emphasis. C. B. Okolo (1993) defines African Philosophy simply as “critical
thinking on the African experience (past or traditional and modern or contemporary”
(p.13). He identifies the main branches of African Philosophy as African Logic,
African Epistemology, African Ethics, African Metaphysics, African Political
Philosophy and African Epistemology. Okolo also posits that the study of African
philosophy must also include studies in Departmental African Philosophies (P18).
In the main, these branches of Departmental African Philosophy are Philosophy
of African Language, Philosophy of African Religion, Philosophy of African History,
Philosophy of African Education and Philosophy of African culture. (See Okolo;
1993: P18-21). The study of African philosophy must be spread throughout the
four years of undergraduate studies in a Nigerian University and aspects must
be introduce to the non philosophy majors at the General studies level. Some
latest dimensions of philosophy need to be introduced to the students as part
of the inter-disciplinary re-focus which I advocate. Courses such as the Philosophy
of Feminism, Philosophy of Mind, the Philosophy of Technology, Philosophy of
Theatre, Philosophy of Development, Environmental Philosophy, Philosophy of
Globalization or International Relations, Philosophy of Journalism, Journalistic
Ethics, as well as Business Ethics need to be introduced as part of philosophical
studies. The overall purpose of the study is to try and develop in the student
the actual facility by engaging in philosophical argumentation, analysis and
criticism by using classical (traditional) philosophical figures and theories
as models to address issues of contemporary relevance. There
needs to be a de-emphasis of the history of western philosophy as currently
taught. Lectures can cover a representative sample of major traditional, classical
philosophical positions, theories and personalities on the one hand and still
be made relevant, exciting and enjoyable for the students. Students of philosophy
in Too
much class time is occupied with questions like ‘’What did Hegel mean by …?’’
and ‘’What was your third criticism of utilitarianism?’’ While such an approach
may have paedeutic value its relevance is nonetheless questionable. The students
must be encouraged to develop independent thinking ability and form opinions
of their own. Pedagogical techniques, including small group discussions, debates,
films and ‘’clever’’ essay examination need to be employed to illustrate the
difference between knowledge by acquaintance and knowledge by description. Also
practical computer and information technology (IT) training needs to be made
compulsory. The students may be asked to go on a compulsory period of attachment
in a computer school and show evidence of successful completion of the training
before resuming their philosophical studies. The
point made here is that philosophy must be ‘’problem focused’’ and attempt to
be “problem solving” in socially important problems and establish its integrative
function with other disciplines. By so doing philosophy will affirm its relevance,
significance and value with the fresh insights and perspectives it reveals to
these other disciplines. The philosopher’s skills and attitude which makes him
far-sighted and extra perceptive will earn him recognition and respect. The
non-philosophy major groomed in the inter-disciplinary approach and who has
properly cultivated the critical skills and attitude of Philosophy will bring
this to bear on his major disciplines and then ultimately come to the realization
that habitually and persistently he must keep an open-mind and rethink the possibilities
of his discipline, he might well come to accept as legitimate some new ways
of relating to other disciplines –ways which would be consistent with and employ
insights of the traditions of his major discipline but still would allow a more
fruitful complementary existence. The
philosophy major properly groomed in the interdisciplinary approach to studying
philosophy and having adequately cultivated the necessary skills and attitude
is pragmatic, dynamic, mobile and versatile. He it is who can “bake bread’’.
It is to this calibre of trained philosophers that Ozumba states, ‘’can work
any where’’ (Ozumba;2002:3). Ozumba’s work, A
Philosophy Handbook for Beginners: Value Application and Career Opportunities
for Philosophers
is a ‘’must read’’ for Nigerian undergraduates of philosophy. Conclusion
So
far I have distinguished between ‘’Ivory tower’’ Philosophy and ‘’market place’’
Philosophy. Ivory tower Philosophy is academic Philosophy which insists that
Philosophy must be done in the traditional professional manner with systematicity,
analytic rigour, logical coherence, and technicality, mainly addressing problems
and issues in the classical traditions of Philosophy. “Market place” Philosophy,
on the other hand, though not discountenancing the need for rigorousness and
systematicity, maintains that academic Philosophy can be done in the non-traditional
manner and made to address concrete existential problems within our cultural
circumstance which encourages the professional philosopher to participate in
public debate of issues of contemporary relevance. I have also maintained that
“ivory tower” philosophy is the reason for the isolation, alienation, marginalization
and perceived irrelevance of academic philosophy today. I posit that professionalism
in philosophy and its teaching should be reconceived and restructured. I propose
that the interdisciplinary strategy for teaching philosophy should be promoted
so as to establish the integrative function of philosophy and its integral connection
with other disciplines and ultimately interdisciplinary integration. This approach,
I maintain, should also stress the utilitarian aspects of the study of philosophy. A possible
fear that may be expressed or a criticism that may be advanced against the strategy
which I recommend for professionalism in Philosophy and its teaching is that
Philosophy may lose its identity or autonomy as a discipline. My response to
that will be that, such fear is unfounded. Professional autonomy will be maintained
by Philosophy’s unique and systematic approach to normative issues. But can
we not tolerate some loss of professional autonomy if that will take Philosophy
to rejoin the world, and participate in the “market place”? This has
been basically an exercise in professional self-criticism or what may be called
“meta-philosophy”. The reactions of my colleagues are eagerly awaited.
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