Africa-Press – Uganda. The Deputy Director of Administration and Graduate Training at Makerere University, Assoc Prof Julius Kikooma has urged the public to recognise the values of philosophy and the role it plays in human development and the creation of a fair and more democratic society.
“Philosophy is the foundation of knowledge. When humanity is faced with hard questions, the world looks to the philosophers to help make sense out of the situation,” he said.
He also proposed the teaching of a cross-cutting course on African philosophy and heritage in all higher institutions of learning in the country.
Speaking at the same event held to commemorate World Philosophy Day, Dr Giregon Olupot, a senior lecturer at the School of Agricultural Sciences, Makerere University encouraged the public to protect and look after the soil since we all came from the soil and it’s where we shall all end up.
“The well-being of our environment, plants and animals, water, air, among others are important in order to create a better world for all humanity,” he said. He termed this the ‘One Health’ concept.
“Philosophy is its own world of science and it is actually an embodiment of all the sciences. What is our thinking of the person of today vis-à-vis the person of tomorrow? The person in the present is the real person whose future is threatened and he is the one we should be concerned about,” he said in an interview.
Prof Edward Wamala, from the Department of Philosophy, also encouraged young people to reflect on the human beings of the future saying that the advancement in science and technology has caused problems regarding moral values and human identity.
“Today, we have issues of surrogacy; where another woman can carry the pregnancy for another woman. When the child is born, who will be the mother of that child? What does it mean to be a mother? What does it mean to be human?” he said.
He warned young people against losing themselves in the process of embracing science and technology.
The authorities were urged to embrace moral, ethical and civil laws in order to protect human values in an era of rapidly advancing technology.
“It will be impossible to fully integrate human values with artificial intelligence if the ethical requirements are not met,” said Rev. Fr. Tony Akena, a priest at St. Augustine Catholic Church, Makerere University.
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