UJAH: Unizik Journal of Arts and Humanities

The nature of consciousness in the context of artificial intelligence: Redefining human-technology relationships

Izuchukwu Kizito Okoli — 2024-06-21

The nature of consciousness in the context of artificial intelligence (AI) presents a problem that necessitates analysis and further exploration. This study seeks to redefine human-technology relationships by examining the intersection of consciousness and AI, including metaphysical implications and considerations. The primary objectives are to define consciousness within the context of AI, assess the potential for AI to exhibit consciousness, investigate the metaphysical implications for human experiences, and explore the ethical dimensions. The research findings indicate that consciousness involves self-awareness, perception, intentionality, and subjective experiences. While AI can achieve advanced cognitive abilities, the existence of higher-order consciousness remains uncertain, raising metaphysical questions about the nature of subjective awareness. The hard problem of consciousness highlights the challenge of bridging physical processes and subjective experiences, underscoring the need for metaphysical considerations. Ethical implications of AI integration and its impact on human experiences are also examined. Recommendations include further research on consciousness in AI, the development of ethical frameworks that account for metaphysical dimensions, and the exploration of the extended mind hypothesis to integrate AI as an augmentation of human consciousness. By addressing metaphysical implications and considerations, we can navigate the evolving landscape of AI and redefine human-technology relationships in a responsible, inclusive, and metaphysically informed manner.

An analysis of minimal pairs in Igbo using a multimodal approach to speech perception

Chinenye Esther Onuoha — 2024-06-21

Speech perception is the process by which the sounds of a language are heard, interpreted and understood. The traditional assumption that language is an auditory phenomenon was over ruled by the McGurk effect which proved by the use of experiment that visual signal also assists the auditory signal in the perception of speech sounds of a language. This work aims at examining minimal pairs in Igbo to determine if this theory of multimodal (audio-visual) perception of speech is applicable. The minimal pairs used in this work are extracted ten Igbo native speakers comprising of six females and four males, and from existing Igbo literature on minimal pairs while some are by introspection of the researchers as native speakers of the language under study. The variety of Igbo used in this work is the standard Igbo which is the variety of the variety that is officially recognized. For data analysis, the Multimodal Theory of speech perception was applied. Findings indicate that the native speakers of Igbo do not use visual information in order to properly perceive the sounds of their language, even those that are minimal pairs. The work concludes that the need for visual information for adequate identification, perception and comprehension of speech sounds cannot be said to be a general phenomenon since native speakers of a language could without the visual information, perceive and identify their speech sounds when audio recorded not minding the confusion that usually arises with minimal pairs. This work suggests that the Multimodal Theory of speech perception may only be applied when working with non-native or non-fluent speakers of a language.

IPOB sit at home order in South Eastern Nigeria: Its perlocutionary effect for peacebuilding and sustainability.

Adaoma Igwedibia — 2024-06-21

Biafra has been a crying nation since 1967. Researchers have done a lot of studies on the evils and neglect done to the people of Biafra. Biafra had previously existed as an Independent Multi-ethnic Republic consisting of the Igbo, Ijaw, Efik and Ibibio people and was declared by Lieutenant Colonel Odumegwu Ojukwu for three years, 1967 through 1970. Since the creation of Biafra, the government of Nigeria has never been at peace with Biafran ideology. This has resulted to war, conflict, marginalization and negligence. Many protest groups from the South-East have emerged to defend the faith of the Biafrans in all of these. IPOB being one of these groups has indulged in peaceful protest to reclaim the Biafrans’ positions in Nigeria. Sit-at-home order is one of their strategies to state their plights. People of South East have been reacting to this order differently. The order has positive and negative effect on the masses. But the IPOB believes that adherence to this order will help in bringing and sustaining peace among the Nigerian Nation either by Biafran sessession or by giving Ndigbo the sense of belonging in Nigeria. This research intends to study IPOB Sit-At-Home Order in South Eastern Nigeria: Its Perlocutionary effect for Peacebuilding and Sustainability within the ambit of Austin’s Speech Act in Pragmatics.

Evidentialism as an epistemic tool for philosophical justifications

Hyginus Chibuike Ezebuilo — 2024-06-21

In the 20th century, Richard Feldman’s and Earl Conee’s evidentialism attracted many interests as it is seen as an interesting theory of epistemic justification. Feldman and Conee explains evidentialism as a theory of justification which posits that every knowledge claim must be justified only by evidence. That is, for a proposition to be epistemically justified, there must be a fitting evidence that qualifies it to be justified. It is the quality of the believer’s evidence that is prerequisite for any epistemic justification, and this evidence must internal to the person. Put differently, one’s evidence for a belief must be available to the person and not just a hearsay or an unverified testimony. Over the years, many critiques have been developed by different philosophers against this view of justification. In the same manner, Feldman and Conee, together with some evidentialists have rebutted to these critiques with counter-argument, in order to prove that evidentialism is the most plausible theory of justification. Against this background, this work adopts a hermeneutic methodological approach to examine Feldman’s and Conee’s evidentialism as a theory of justification. By exposing, discussing, and examining their thoughts, it argues that evidentialism although being a plausible theory of justification, lays much emphasis on evidences available to the believers, leading them to a quagmire of skepticism. It therefore recommends that evidentialism could be modified to address its limitation if it adopts critical methods to examine individual evidences irrespective of the degree of evidences, in order to establish a more fitting evidence that would be unquestionable for epistemic justification

Language and communication implication of artificial intelligence on selected Nigerian university undergraduates

Nelson Ewere Atoi — 2024-06-21

In recent times, the emergence of artificial intelligence has had a tremendous influence on human language and communication. It involves developing computer programs to complete tasks which would otherwise require human intelligence. This study, therefore, investigates the impact of artificial intelligence on the English language use and communication skills of selected Nigerian university undergraduates. Questionnaires were designed from a five-point rating scale and shared with one hundred and fifty respondents from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka and the University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus These students were randomly sampled because the students were selected without having any particular choice in mind. All the responses gathered through an online survey monkey were categorised and analysed qualitatively and quantitatively. Albert Bandura’s (1977) Social Learning Theory was adopted as the theoretical framework for this study. The findings show that artificial intelligence impacts the language and communication of Nigerian undergraduates both positively and negatively and this includes among others: improvement of their vocabulary and grammar, and overdependence on AI technology for English language vocabulary development.

Mbiti’s model of time and its implications to African development: An “Emo-Mechanical” intervention.

Osita Nnajiofor — 2024-06-21

This work seeks to examine the implications of Mbiti’s Philosophy on African development as a way of tackling the problems of African development through the instrumentality of time. Mbiti’s centres his philosophy on time which he sees as the key to African ontology. This paper uses this philosophy to examine the problems of development in Africa as Mbiti sees time as a key to understanding African ontology. This reveals that time has the capacity to reach every aspect of life in Africa as it is essential in explaining the beliefs, practices, attitudes and general way of life of the African people. Time also has overbearing influence in the politics, education, economic and religious aspects of life in Africa and addressing the issues in these areas tantamount to development in the society. Therefore, using the analytic method, this paper discloses the positive and negative implications of Mbiti’s philosophy to African development. It observes that if Mbiti’s concept of time is the way to comprehend African ontology, it can be used as a mechanism of understanding the problems of development in Africa. It contends that if due attention is given to the study of time in Africa; it has the capacity of tackling the problems of development in the continent. This paper concludes by recommending a model called an “Emo-Mechanical model” which is an African inspired developmental model that involves a strategic blending of African emotionalized time model and the western mechanical time category for an optimal results. This model of development will address the problems of development in Africa by appropriating the gains of western goal oriented model and at the same time retain African communual and relational values and peculiarities.

Reviving the practice of “iju ora” in Igbo culture as a key factor for violence prevention, peace and fraternity among families neighbourhoods and communities: implications for Igbo philosophy and education.

Greg Ekeh — 2024-06-21

The paper investigated the reviving of “iju ora” in Igbo culture as a key factor for violence prevention, peace and fraternity among families, neighbourhoods and communities, and its implications for Igbo philosophy and education. Five research questions were formulated to guide the study, while analytic survey was adopted as the design of the study. The study was carried out in the South-East Nigeria. The target population for the study was 23, 634,086 (consisting of 2,546,777 and 21,087,309 elderly people and youth respectively). The sample size for the study was 1,890, obtained using multistage sampling technique. For data collection, researcher-developed structured questionnaire and oral interviews were used as instruments. To answer the research questions, a computation of the mean ratings given to each of the item statements was carried out. Means and standard deviation methods were used to analyze the results. The findings showed that “iju ora” is means much more than ordinary greetings among the Igbo people, and that it has various roles to play in peace preventing violence and enthroning peace among the people. It was also discovered that the practice of “iju ora” is waning among the Igbo people today due to a number of reasons, including social media influence. Some implications of “iju ora” for Igbo philosophy and education were also revealed, especially with regard to value clarification and moral education. Some strategies, such as going back to the early education of the child in the context of families and communities and engaging in self-introspection and critical thinking, were found to be able to enhance the practice of “iju ora”. Based on the findings, the paper concluded that “iju ora” is a veritable factor for violence prevention and peace building, and that strategies discussed can really help in enhancing its practice. The paper, therefore recommended, among others, that stakeholders, including Igbo philosophers and educators, should collaborate to see that the practice of “iju ora” is revived among the Igbo people of today.

Moral Judgement in Paul Apel Papel's The Caller

Helen Udumaga Aghamelu — 2024-06-21

The influence of Films on societal morals in Nigeria has generated varying debate themes among film critics and fans. While some argue that films have greater destructive effects on the society, others are of the view that it is highly instrumental to positive societal moral change. The study aims at examining the four forms of moral judgement as they are applied in the film The Caller with the objective of highlighting their applications and how these forms of moral judgement influenced the decisions of the judge on the offender. The study is hinged on the Ethical Theory of Immanuel Kant which focuses on the moral agent rather than the character of the agent. The researcher uses qualitative research method which entails the analysis of texts, journals and films to explore the application of moral judgement in the film. The study concludes that films contribute positively to the moral growth of individuals in the society. It recommends that film makers should take advantage of the wide coverage acceptability and accessibility of films within almost every strata of the society to inculcate positive morals on their audience.

A pragmatic analysis of the comedy series ‘The Big Bang Theory’

Nneoma Chinemerem Udeze — 2024-06-21

Pragmatics, a branch of linguistics focusing on meaning in context, serves as the basis for analyzing the dialogues within the comedy series 'The Big Bang Theory.' This investigation aims to ascertain whether the conversations among the characters deviate from the co-operative principle of communication, thus leading to a pragmatic analysis of the series. To achieve this, the study applies Grice's theory of conversational implicature to the gathered data. The results demonstrate that the dialogues transgress three out of the four conversational maxims: quantity, relation, and manner. Notably, Sheldon's deliberate infringement of these maxims serves as a comedic tool, generating humor for the audience. Moreover, the study identifies that some actors' pragmatic shortcomings also contribute to the maxims' breaches. In summary, possessing pragmatic awareness is an essential skill for effective communication in diverse social settings, minimizing ambiguity. Furthermore, discerning humor involves the cognitive capacity to recognize, express, or appreciate amusing or unconventional aspects. This exploration highlights the significant role of pragmatics in both communication and comedic expression, underscoring its relevance in various contexts.