Vol 2 No 2 (2024)
Articles

Philosophy of Apologetics: A Post Smorgasbord Nuturing of Sylvanus Iniobong Udoidem’s PHILOSOPoetry

Stephen Nyeenenwa
Agha Eresia-Eke
Omiete Idoniboye
Published September 25, 2024
Keywords
  • Philosopoetry,
  • faith and reason,
  • truth,
  • science,
  • food,
  • peace,
  • man and GOD
  • ...More
    Less
How to Cite
Nyeenenwa, S., Eresia-Eke, A., & Idoniboye, O. (2024). Philosophy of Apologetics: A Post Smorgasbord Nuturing of Sylvanus Iniobong Udoidem’s PHILOSOPoetry. Advances in Law, Pedagogy, and Multidisciplinary Humanities, 2(2), 24-51. Retrieved from http://103.133.36.82/index.php/alpamet/article/view/756

Abstract

Philosophy is primarily concerned with the clarification of concepts and terms in daily usage. However, the results are different when words are concealed or shrouded within the mysterious cocoon of poetry, or if they are enwrapped in poetical rendition. This is because poems generally don’t only capture the opulent essence of existence, but utilizes the immanent tools and devices like simile, metonymy, synecdoche, metaphor, symbolisms and pun, which were lavishly utilised by Professor Sylvanus Udoidem, the PHILOSOPoet; and by which he sought to reveal the nature of GOD in his rhythmic renditions of poetry. In this work, we look at how he unleashed his philosophical defence of the authority and origin of Christianity – apologetics. The post prandial intuition portrayed by this work shows that even in retirement, the food the PHILOSOPoet prepared with his intellectual acumen/delectation has refused to whittle down, but rather continues to swell like a tidal flow, sometimes overflowing its banks, and at other times, simply cutting below the knee so that even a newt can wade across the vast acreage of his collections and philosophical sagacity. We will here seek to re-interpret and re-discover his PHILOSOPoetry in such coherent way that it would mandate GOD’s existence, prompt and promote the whole essences of the Almighty, to whom he was a wholly dedicated and served eruditely and sedately for over four decades. We will drop sail by situating his works within his calling as a Priest, Erudite Reverend Father, a philosopher par excellence and an icon, whose faith and believe remains a shining beacon of hope in a dimly lit religious verandah. This work will serves to re-establish and spur us to like, Rev. Father Prof. Udoidem, reignite our love for the spiritual and seek to know GOD with increasing fervour and motivation.

References

Aumann, R. J. & Brandenburger, A. (2016). “Epistemic Conditions for Nash Equilibrium.” Readings in Formal Epistemology. Edited by Horacio Arlo-Costa; Vincent F. Hendricks, and Johan Van Bentham. Springer International Publishing AG, e-Book, Cham, Switzerland.
Bloom, H. (2021). The Western Canon: The Books and School of the Ages. Accessed on the 3rd May, 2021
Bogumil-Notz, S. (2021). “Literature and Philosophy.” Accessed from http://www.colss.net/Eolss-SampleAllChapter.aspx on the 3rd May, 2021.
Copi, I., & Cohen, C. (2000). Introduction to Logic, 9th Edition. New Delhi, Prentice Hall of India. 2000. “26 – Critical Approaches to Literature,” from the site 1608962234 – critical-approaches.pdf accessed on the 3rd May, 2021.
Descartes, R. (2002). A Modern Introduction to Philosophy: Readings From Classical and Contemporary Sources. Edited by Paul Edwards and Arthur Pap, New York, The Free Press.
Eboh, Sr. M. (2012). History and Philosophy of Science and Technology. Pearl Publishers, 2012.
Eldridge, R. (2010). “Truth in Poetry: Particulars and Universals.” A Companion to the Philosophy of Literature, edited by Garry L. Hagberg and Walter Jost. West Sussex, United Kingdom, Wiley-Blackwell, pp. 385 - 398.
Evans, G. R. (2001). Philosophy and Theology in the Middle Ages, Routledge (Taylor and Francis – eBook), London,
Glanzberg, M. (2012). “Truth.” The Stanford Dictionary of Philosophy. Edited by Edward N. Zatta. Accessed 29/05/2021.
Green, M. (2010). “How and What We Can Learn From Fiction.” A Companion to the Philosophy of Literature, edited by Garry L. Hagberg and Walter Jost. West Sussex, United Kingdom, Wiley-Blackwell.
Guyer, P. (2016). “Philosophy of Literature in the Eighteenth Century.” The Routledge Companion To Philosophy Of Literature, edited by Noel Carroll & John Gibson, Oxon, Routledge, (eBOOK by Taylor & Francis), 2016, pp. 13 - 29.
Hagberg, G. L. (2010). “Self-Defining Reading: Literature and the Constitution of Personhood.” A Companion to the Philosophy of Literature, edited by Garry L. Hagberg and Walter Jost. West Sussex, United Kingdom, Wiley-Blackwell.
Hansson, S. O., & Hendricks, V. F. (2018). Introduction to Formal Philosophy, Springer International Publishing AG, e-Book, Cham, Switzerland.
Harold, J, (2016). “Literary Cognitivism.” The Routledge Companion To Philosophy Of Literature, edited by Carroll, Noel & Gibson, John, Oxon, Routledge.
Harre, R. (1985). The Philosophies of Science: An Introductory Survey. Oxford University Press, 2nd Edition.
Hicks, J. (2002). “The Problem of Evil” and “Evil and the Infinite GOD.” A Modern Introduction to Philosophy: Readings From Classical and Contemporary Sources. New York, The Free Press, 463 – 472.
Howell, R. (2002). “Ontology and the Nature of the Literary Work” in The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism. 60:1, Winter, pp. 67 – 79.
Huemer, M. (2005). (Ed.,), Epistemology, Contemporary Readings, London.
Johannsson, L. (2016). Philosophy of Science for Scientists, Springer International Publishing AG, e-Book, Cham, Switzerland.
John, E. (2010). “Literature and the Idea of Morality.” A Companion to the Philosophy of Literature, edited by Garry L. Hagberg and Walter Jost. West Sussex, United Kingdom, Wiley-Blackwell.
Jones, C. P. (2019). “Nietzsche’s Analysis of The Problematic Relationship of Language to Reality.” Thingsheet Magazine.
Jost, W. (2010). “Philosophy and Literature – and Rhetoric.” A Companion to the Philosophy of Literature, edited by Garry L. Hagberg and Walter Jost. West Sussex, United Kingdom, Wiley-Blackwell.
Kivy, P. (2010). “The Experience of Reading.” A Companion to the Philosophy of Literature, edited by Garry L. Hagberg and Walter Jost. West Sussex, United Kingdom, Wiley-Blackwell.
Lamarche, P. (2010). Literature and Truth.” A Companion to the Philosophy of Literature, edited by Garry L. Hagberg and Walter Jost. West Sussex, United Kingdom, Wiley-Blackwell.
Lawhead, W. F. (2002). The Voyage of Discovery: A Historical Introduction to Philosophy. 2nd Edition. Stamford, Connecticut.
Lepore, E., & Stone, M. (2016). “The Poetic Imagination.” The Routledge Companion to Philosophy of Literature, edited by Noel Carroll & John Gibson, Oxon, Routledge, 323 – 333.
Livingstone, P. (2010). “Authorial Intention and the Varieties of Intentionalism.” A Companion to the Philosophy of Literature, edited by Garry L. Hagberg and Walter Jost. West Sussex, United Kingdom, Wiley-Blackwell.
Lycan, W. G. (2008). Philosophy of Language, (2nd Edition). London, Routledge.
Marquis, J. (2018). “Categories.” Introduction to Formal Philosophy, Edited by Sven Ove Hanson and Vincent F. Hendricks. Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature.
Meskin, A. (2016). “Popular Fiction.” The Routledge Companion to Philosophy of Literature, edited by Noel Carroll & John Gibson, Oxon, Routledge.
Meyer, J. (1999). “What is Literature? A Definition Based on Prototypes.” Work Papers of the Summer Institute of Linguistics, University of North Dakota Session, Vol. 41, pp 1 – 10. 1999. Researchgate. Accessed 03/05/2021 from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/234618494.
Miscevic, N. (2021). “Philosophy as Literature: The Non-argumentative Tradition in Continental Philosophy” Accessed from miscevic.pdf at https://www.unige.chon the 3rd May, 2021.
Nbete, A. D. (2014). “The Meaning and Nature of Philosophy.” Readings in Introduction to Philosophy and Logic, Edited by AlubaBari Desmond Nbete and Elechi Maraizu, Port Harcourt, Unique Printing and Publishing Systems, pp. 1 – 19.
Price, A. (1998). “Nietzsche and the Paradox of Tragedy in The British Journal of Aesthetics, Vol. 38, No. 4, October, 1998, pp. 384 – 393.
Ramsey, F. P. (2016). “Truth and Probability.” Readings in Formal Epistemology. Edited by Horacio Arlo-Costa; Vincent F. Hendricks, and Johan Van Bentham. Springer International Publishing AG, e-Book, Cham, Switzerland, eBook: 886, 2016, pp. 21 – 46.
Rodriguez, J. (2021). “The Graphic Novel as Argument: Visual Representation Strategy In Kyle Baker’s Nat Turner.” Inquiries Journal, Vol. 13, No.02, 2021. Accessed from http://www.inquiries jornal.com/a?id=1875 on the 3rd May, 2021, pp. 1 – 8.
Romesin, H. M., & Verdin-Zoller, G. (2008). The Origin of Humanness in the Biology of Love, (Pille Bumel, ed.,) Andrews UK Limited.
Salar, A. B. (2021). “Intention in Intentionalism.” Accessed from http://www.ub.edu>papers from intention in intentionalism Alicia Bermejo.pdf on 3rd May, 2021.
Sheils, P. F. (2021) “The Eumenides, Antigone and the Nature of Objective Justice.” Inquiries Journal, 13(03), 1 – 9.
Shiner, Roger. “Philosophy and Literature: Friends of the Earth?” A Companion to the Philosophy of Literature, edited by Garry L. Hagberg and Walter Jost. West Sussex, United Kingdom, Wiley-Blackwell, 2010, pp. 23 - 37.
Shustermann, R. (2010). “Philosophy as Literature and More Than Literature.” A Companion to the Philosophy of Literature, edited by Garry L. Hagberg and Walter Jost. West Sussex, United Kingdom, Wiley-Blackwell.
Solomon, R. C., & Higgins K. M. (2010). The Big Questions: A Short Introduction to Philosophy 8th Edition, Belmont, California, USA, Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.
Soy R., & Anna, C. (2016). “Poetry.” The Routledge Companion To Philosophy Of Literature, edited by Noel Carroll & John Gibson, Oxon, Routledge.
Speight, A. (2016). “Philosophy of Literature in the Nineteenth Century.” The Routledge Companion To Philosophy Of Literature, edited by Noel Carroll & John Gibson, Oxon, Routledge, 30 - 39.
St. Anselm. (2002). “There Exists Something Than Which a Greater Cannot Be Thought.” 405 A Modern Introduction to Philosophy: Readings From Classical and Contemporary Sources. New York, The Free Press, pp. 403 – 407.
Tullmann, K., & Buckwalter, W. (2013). “Does the Paradox of Fiction Exist?” Springer Science+Business Media. Dordrecht, Springe, 779 – 796.
Udoidem, S. I. (1999). Understanding Philosophy, Lagos, African Heritage Research and Publications.
Udoidem, S. I. (2012). PHILOSOPoetry. Uyo, Inela Ventures and Publishers Ltd..
Udoidem, S. I. (2012). Indigenising Philosophy – A Study of E. J. Alagoa, Elechi Amadi, Gabriel Okara, Ken Saro-Wiwa & Charles Nnolim, Port Harcourt, University of Port Harcourt Press.
Varzi, A. C. (2013). Fictionalism in Ontology.” From Fictionalism to Realism, edited by Barbero, Carola; Ferraris, Maurizio; and Alberto Voltolini, Newscatle, UK, Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2013, pp. 133 – 151).
Vidmar, I. (2001). “Literature and Philosophy: Intersection and Boundaries.” Journal of Arts. Accessed from www.mdpi.com/journal/arts on 3rd May, 2021, pp. 1 - 22.
Warnock, G. J. (2002).“Verification and the Use of Language.” A Modern Introduction to Philosophy: Readings From Classical and Contemporary Sources. New York, The Free Press, pp. 780 – 790.
Wrisley, G. (2006). “Rules, Language, Reality.” Philosophy Now. Issue No. 58. Accessed from philosophynow.org on 29/05/2021.
Ogbujah, C. N. (2021). TOWARDS AN UTOPIC COMMUNITY: A DECONSTRUCTION OF UDOIDEM’S VALUES AND NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT. Journal of African Studies and Sustainable Development, 4(6).
Gouldner, (1980).The Two Marxisms. London: Macmillan Press.
Stackhouse Jr, J. G. (2002). Humble apologetics: Defending the faith today. Oxford University Press.
Eresia-Eke, A. (2002).“Udoidem On The Role Of Philosophy In National Development” in Inoka (Ed.) In Defence of Philosophy – Critical Reflections On The Works Of Professor Udoidem, Lagos, African Heritage Research and Publications,.
Essien, A. (2002). “Udoidem On The Notion Of Self And People Empowerment” in Inoka (Ed.) In Defence of Philosophy – Critical Reflections On The Works Of Professor Udoidem, Lagos, African Heritage Research and Publications, 2002: 68 pp 61 – 71.
Inoka, V. D. B. (200). “The Philosopher As A Social Critic: A Study of Selected Works of Professor Udoidem” in Inoka (Ed.), In Defence of Philosophy – Critical Reflections On The Works Of Professor Udoidem, Lagos, African Heritage Research and Publications, 2002 pp 27 – 42.
Nwigwe, B. E. (2002) “Uniport Philosophical Currents: A Focus on Professor Udoidem” in Inoka (Ed.), In Defence of Philosophy – Critical Reflections On The Works Of Professor Udoidem, Lagos, African Heritage Research and Publications, pp. 5 – 16.
Nyarks, A. (2012). English Mirror. Use of English and Communication Skills. Uyo: Noble Publishers & Associates.
Nyarks, A. (2006). Varieties of Anaang language. Unpublished Master’s Thesis. University of Uyo.
Nyarks, A., & Campus, O. A. (2022). The Linguistic Evaluation of Anaang Syllable Structures. International Journal of Formal Education, 1(8), 1-15.
Nyarks, D. A. (2022, August). Affixation: A linguistic strategy for language development, a case study of Anaang language. In " ONLINE-CONFERENCES" PLATFORM (pp. 140-149).

Udoh, M., & Umotong, I. (2013). Environment Sustainability and Renewablity. Elements of History and Philosophy of Science.
Udo, I. L., & Udoh, M. (2023). Moral Education and Corruption in Nigeria: A Reflection on Plato's Counsel on Education. IILARD Journal of Humanities and Social Policy, 9(1), 1-12.
Udoh, M. (2013). The Place of Mythological Metaphysics in Social Control. Journal of Complementary Reflection: Studies of Asouzu, 3(1), 45-53.
Udoh, M. (2014). Socialization and Society: The Family System as a Basic Unit.
Udoh, M. (2013). Challenges and Prospects for Developing Scientific And Technological Attitude In Africa. African Journal of Culture, Philosophy and Society: Aworom Annang, 3(1), 7-15.
Udoh, I., & Udo, U. (2022). Covid-19: A Critical Analysis of Multi-Causative Factors and Mitigation. AAN Journal of Law, Arts and Humanities, 1(1), 21-37.
Okide, U. J. (2022). CHILD ABUSE IN THE IGBO FAMILY: AN ANALYSIS OF OSUAGWU’ S NWA NGWII PUO EZE. Nigerian Journal of African Studies (NJAS), 4(1).