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Complementary Reflection, African Philosophy and General Issues in Philosophy |
Essays
on Complementary Reflection
by
Okpabi
Emmanuel
Complementary reflection is a
form of thinking that is holistic, comprehensive, unified and trans-historical
in orientation. As a form of thinking, complementary reflection as normative
and practical form of reason appraises reality as a complex, unified whole, yet
taking into cognizance the proper individual status of all missing links of
reality.
As a philosophy,
complementary reflection recognizes the relativity of things in the world but
it is a form of reasoning that refuses to stress and extol relativity to the
extreme such as to culminate in creating barriers which come as a result of
exclusive absolutism and extreme individualism.
Complementary
reflection is a thinking process in which the human mind seeks to transcend all
forms of artificial divides and rejectionist trends an by so doing reaches out
to a new plane of consciousness. Here the whole of existence is perceived as
being complementary, total, unified, absolute comprehensive and future
referential in character. It is an accommodative form of thinking that
acknowledges the fact that we have fragmented moments of historical existence
but that as fragmented moments of existence we have our past, present and
future which must be geared towards a harmonious and unified whole. It is a
philosophy that emphasis the need for the conceptual destruction of those
things that make for disunity and disaffection in our world.
As a philosophy
of integration and social progress, complementary reflection is outstanding and
rewarding. Complementary reflections as a philosophy is not exotic,
hypocritical or exaggerative. It tries to come to terms with our human
real-life and existential ambivalent situations which have undeniable ability
to influence human actions both individually and collectively. In such
situations, our interests as human beings, which are of double capacity play a
vital role. Here, complementary reflection points out that there are some
innate or inborn tendencies of man which in asymmetrical existential situations
can lead to actions that are on the long run self-destructive. Complementary
philosophy offers a new form of consciousness that makes us understand better
our nature and that of our situations. Man Aristotle says should know himself.
It is true that a problem identified is half solved. It is also believed that ideas
rule the world. Ideas change the world. Complementarity helps us transform
ideas to action. In this form it helps us to transcend the realm of conception
of ideas and come to the realm of existential application and practicality.
Because complementary reflection offers a holistic, universal and future
referential framework for understanding situations, it is a progress seeking
philosophy.
As a philosophy,
complementary reflection emphasizes equality of human beings, and relevance of
all beings to all beings. It advocates the relinquishing of some cherished
values for the very purpose of integration.
As a philosophy
that fundamentally looks at reality from a universal, total and comprehensive
point of view, complementarity advocates that limitations of our being are not
negations in themselves as such they can form the basis for self-actualisation.
It views it that all individuals being integral parts of a whole must always
define their interests within the framework of the common good. That the
success of the one is the success of the whole and the failure of a part is the
failure of the whole. Within this complementary and inter-dependent framework,
competition, self projection, and self imposition is discouraged. It offers a
rational scheme for people while upholding their fragmented existence, to get
committed on the highest scale to the collective and general interest on a
universal scale. By so doing, complementarity advocates and enhances
integration.
Complementary
reflection on a comprehensive and all inclusive scale transcends cultural
divides, religious and ethnic differences, individuality and exclusive
self-preservation tendencies. It thus projects and leads to a transcendent
complementary unity of consciousness that creates a mental global village. It
tries to create and articulate a universal, total, comprehensive and a
proleptic self without undermining the importance and inalienable status of the
relative individuals (missing links) without which the universal whole must
cease to exist as a whole.
It must be noted
that it is only on a high level comprehensiveness that complementary reflection
will yield complete and total results of integration and social progress. This
is so because for there to be a progress that is total with practical bearing
on all facets of human life and the society, no individual or group must think
itself as absolute.
Conclusively,
complementary reflection is a philosophy behind the positive ideals of
globalization – international and inter continental co-operation. It is the
idea behind such social activities as sports or games, on the local, national
and international scale.
It is the
philosophy whose proper articulation and implementation will result in
unfathomable integration and social progress.
Global Paradox and
Complementary Reflection
When we talk of a
paradox, we refer to situations that have the semblance of contradiction.
Global paradox from a complementary point of view connotes the fact that in
every human being, and in fact, in relation to all living organisms there is
the natural intrinsic survival instinct which is in harmony or accordance with
the law of self preservation. Irrespective of tribe, religion, race, sex, or
geopolitical setup, man seeks to do everything possible to ensure his continued
existence.
In seeking to
preserve themselves, there is often a puzzle among human beings. Here people
often tend to act and behave in a manner that is negative and destructive of
the very thing they would always like to protect and preserve. This is perplexing
and paradoxical. Essentially, complementary reflection makes us understand that
man is a self seeking being that always wants to preserve his interest on an
ordinary natural scale. But this interest is of an ambivalent nature, as
complementary reflection points out. Besides, human interest has in it the
inbuilt capacity of concealment such that we can always remain ignorant of its
ambivalent nature. Because of this ignorance and because of our exaggerated
opinion about man’s rationality as well as outright ignorance of the truth and
authenticity criterion, as outlined by complementary reflection, we are often
prone, when in asymmetrical situations, to act in a manner that negates the
authenticating foundation of our interest. By so doing, we negate ourselves and
become destructive to ourselves. All these point to man’s natural capacity to
act in a paradoxical manner. The paradox here is that, while seeking to
preserve ourselves, we can unconsciously also seek to destroy ourselves.
This paradox can
be illustrated with the concept of globalization. In the world today, we
perceive a prevalent form of consciousness that finds expression in a form of
movement generally referred to as globalization. This concept with all the
positive ideas associated with it is one of the most controversial. To start
with, globalisation as a humanistic movement seeks to destroy all the
artificial surmountable divides that hitherto had made harmonious coexistence
impossible. Globalisation inline with the much cherished principles of complementarity
upholds equality of opportunity and privileges. People in line with this new
global form of consciousness are ready to discard or sacrifice some of their
cherished values in order to become compatible with others from a dissimilar background.
Following this trend, barriers to trade and movement from one country to the
other is as much as possible removed. Confraternities and unions are being
formed to provide the platform where people can discuss their differences and
seek for solutions to the problems created by these artificial differences. On
the other hand a lot of atrocities are being perpetrated in the name of
globalization. What this shows is that the very ideals that the world holds
sacred are the very ideals it can also employ to destroy itself.
We can apply the
same idea to the Nigerian context. we know that everyone complains of
corruption, nepotism, tribalism, religious intolerance, violence etc. but
ironically, the same people who decry these ills, would do everything in their
power to uphold their personal interests when in a position to act otherwise.
Here, for the purpose of serving their personal interests, they perpetrate
exactly the very things they had been condemning all the while.
In Nigeria, as an
in many African societies, morality and respect other individuals is highly
esteemed. People hate being oppressed and exploited at the expense of others.
But we see everyday a situation where for short term gains and immediate
rewards, people praise, honour and give titles to dubious immoral but incorrigible
member of society who through wrong means have acquired wealthy. But this same
people who honour and vote such people to positions of power, authority and
honour, because of financial inducements, will tomorrow begin to suffer from
the evil acts
of these felons and complain bitterly about them.
In Nigeria, we
have a situation where people in the Niger delta, for instance, will decry
marginalisation and underdevelopment by the federal government, but the same
spokespeople of these suffering people, when given the money for their people
to initiate projects in their areas will embezzle the money thus worsening and
impoverishing themselves.
This situation is
essentially paradoxical because nobody will naturally destroy himself. But at
the course of preserving the self, their self interest leads them to defining
human interest without any regard for the common good. By negating the common good, they
individually negate their own welfare also because their welfare subsists and
exists within the common good. In fact every individual self has its essence
within the framework of the common, collective, universal and absolute self.
The individual ceases to live once it is perceived without the universal
collective framework.
The paradox is
made possible by over dependence on human rationality and the consequence of
ignorance of the ambivalence of our interest as well s the conception of self
without the common good. This is where consequent self interest is anti self
interest as Prof. Asouzu in his complementary reflection succinctly articulates.
Self-Preservation
and Self-Interest
Within the
context of complementary reflection, self-preservation and self-interest are
interdependent concepts and categories of human existence. The law of self
preservation is a natural law that is immanent in nature and finds expression
in all living organisms. Though this law of self-preservation is a natural law
it does not have a causal mechanistic and pre-deterministic effect of binding
on human beings.
Self interest on
its part is an inbuilt category of human existence in which individuals in
every situation have the urge to do those things that will secure their joy and
well being even if it is at the expense of others. Over emphasizing and all
manners of exclusive projection of self interest has led to the parochial and
negative definition of interest. The law of self preservation which we all
agree is immanent both at the level of individuals and at the level of the
group is highly expressed and aided by self interest.
Self-interest as
a notion leads to those actions that are intended to preserve the self. In
fact, in the law of self preservation is involved the notion of self interest.
Self preservation and self actualisation are self-interest. For instance when a
community with cherished values wants to preserve their values, their persons,
their ideas, their culture, their future etc. they often fight and clash with other
communities around them, when this must be.
Here they are following the natural instinct of self-preservation.
People are prone to assume that
fighting to secure their self interest is rational and legitimate because the
tendency to do so is conditioned by the law of self preservation.
But we notice
that sometimes because of our bid to preserve our unguided interests, we tend
to destroy the self rather than preserve it. It is argued by some people that
the law of self preservation dictates that we do not do anything, any time and
at anywhere that will in anyway be destructive to the self. We are all bound by
this law to always act in a away as to preserve ourselves. But the ambivalent
nature of our interest misleads us often in asymmetrical situations into acts
that do not preserve the self but destroy it.
From the complementary point of view, to obey and keep to the dictates of the law of self preservation well, men must pursue those self interests that do not compromise the working of the common good. Our interest in other words must be common good oriented to ensure adequate preservation of the self. The definition of our interest thus determines the possibility and success of the effort to preserve the self.
Complmenentary
Attitudinal Change
Complementary
attitudinal change has to do with the reorientation and reconstitution of the
human mind in a manner that destroys all the divides, preconceptions, and
prejudices that had in past characterized our reasoning.
From the
complementary perspective, it is clear that people by nature want a holistic
good but are by their type of mindset, their perception of reality, their
approach to issues of existential reference, their responses to contentious and
asymmetrical situations often misled
Complementary
philosophy or complementarism as a constructive, normative and practical
philosophy that seeks to transform ideas into philosophy, makes some
expectations from men and women with respect to complementary attitudinal
change. The first expectation is that complementarity advocates a new form of
consciousness. It emphasizes a new approach and apprehension of reality. By
this demand, people are expected to perceive reality from a total,
comprehensive, unified and future oriented point of view as against the
individualistic and absolute relativistic approaches.
Before this,
complementarity expects that people should know and understand their nature.
Man must understand that he is not only a purely rational being, but that there
are other quasi rational (irrational) categories that characterize the human
nature. Human beings are expected to know how to manage their ambivalent
situations.
Moreover, the
character of human interest is expected, in line with complementary reflection,
to be redefine in such a manner that makes and provides for the common good.
Our attitudinal
change must lead us into treating every individual and group as missing links
of reality. Here objectivity has to be upheld in recognition of the subjective
character of all missing links of reality.
Connected with
complementary attitudinal change is the expectation that the awareness of the
interdependence of all missing links is central. Our consciousness must attain
the transcendent complementary unity of consciousness which is in line with the
speculative ontology of the traditional African philosophers of the
complementary school. In line with this expectation, our actions must be future
referential and proleptic in character. We must begin to act in a way as to
ensure the harmony of our present with the past as to ensure and secure the
future. Our attitude
to reality has to be on a total, comprehensive, unified, complementary
and future referential scale and
harmonious with the ideals of co-existence and co-determination.