CULTURA CULTURA INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PHILOSOPHY OF CULTURE CULTURA AND AXIOLOGY Founded in 2004, Cultura. International Journal of Philosophy 2011 of Culture and Axiology is a semiannual peer-reviewed jour- 1 2011 Vol VIII No 1 nal devoted to philosophy of culture and the study of value. It aims to promote the exploration of different values and cultural phenomena in regional and international contexts. The editorial board encourages the submission of manuscripts based on original research that are judged to make a novel and important contribution to understanding the values and cultural phenomena in the contemporary world. CULTURE AND AXIOLOGY CULTURE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PHILOSOPHY OF JOURNAL OF PHILOSOPHY INTERNATIONAL ISBN 978-3-89975-251-9 CULTURA CULTURA INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PHILOSOPHY OF CULTURE CULTURA AND AXIOLOGY Founded in 2004, Cultura. International Journal of Philosophy 2011 of Culture and Axiology is a semiannual peer-reviewed jour- 1 2011 Vol VIII No 1 nal devoted to philosophy of culture and the study of value. It aims to promote the exploration of different values and cultural phenomena in regional and international contexts. The editorial board encourages the submission of manuscripts based on original research that are judged to make a novel and important contribution to understanding the values and cultural phenomena in the contemporary world. CULTURE AND AXIOLOGY CULTURE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PHILOSOPHY INTERNATIONAL CULTURA INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PHILOSOPHY OF CULTURE AND AXIOLOGY Cultura. International Journal of Philosophy of Culture and Axiology E-ISSN (Online): 2065-5002 (Published online by Versita, Solipska 14A/1, 02-482 Warsaw, Poland) ISSN (Print): 1584-1057 Advisory Board Prof. dr. Mario Perniola, University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, Italy Prof. dr. Paul Cruysberghs, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium Prof. dr. Michael Jennings, Princeton University, USA Prof. Emeritus dr. Horst Baier, University of Konstanz, Germany Prof. dr. José María Paz Gago, University of Coruña, Spain Prof. dr. Maximiliano E. Korstanje, John F. Kennedy University, Buenos Aires, Argentina Prof. dr. Nic Gianan, University of the Philippines Los Baños, Philippines Prof. dr. Alexandru Boboc, Correspondent member of the Romanian Academy, Romania Prof. dr. Teresa Castelao-Lawless, Grand Valley State University, USA Prof. dr. Richard L. Lanigan, Southern Illinois University, USA Prof. dr. Fernando Cipriani, G.d’Annunzio University Chieti-Pescara, Italy Prof. dr. Elif Cirakman, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey Prof. dr. David Cornberg, University Ming Chuan, Taiwan Prof. dr. Carmen Cozma, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University Iassy, Romania Prof. dr. Nancy Billias, Department of Philosophy, Saint Joseph College, Hartford, USA Prof. dr. Christian Möckel, Humboldt University of Berlin, Germany Prof. dr. Leszek S. Pyra, Pedagogical University of Cracow, Poland Prof. dr. A. L. Samian, National University of Malaysia Prof. dr. Dimitar Sashev, University of Sofia, Bulgaria Prof. dr. Kiymet Selvi, Anadolu University, Istanbul, Turkey Prof. dr. Traian D. Stănciulescu, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University Iassy, Romania Prof. dr. Gloria Vergara, University of Colima, Mexico Editorial Board Editor-in-Chief: Co-Editors: Prof. dr. Nicolae Râmbu Prof. dr. Aldo Marroni Faculty of Philosophy and Social- Facoltà di Scienze Sociali Political Sciences Università degli Studi G. d’Annunzio Alexandru Ioan Cuza University Via dei Vestini, 31, 66100 Chieti B-dul Carol I, nr. 11, 700506 Iasi, Romania Scalo, Italy [email protected] [email protected] Executive Editor: PD Dr. Till Kinzel Dr. Simona Mitroiu Englisches Seminar Human Sciences Research Department Technische Universität Braunschweig, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University Bienroder Weg 80, Lascar Catargi, nr. 54, 700107 Iasi, Romania 38106 Braunschweig, Germany [email protected] [email protected] Editorial Asssitants: Radu Vasile Chialda, Adina Romanescu, Marius Sidoriuc, Daniel Ungureanu Designer: Aritia Poenaru Editorial Office Address: Alexandru Ioan Cuza University, Faculty of Philosophy and Social-Political Sciences, The Seminar of Philosophy of Culture and Axiology, Carol I, nr. 11, 700506, Iasi, Romania, Tel.:0040/232/201054; Fax: 0040/232/201154; e-mail: [email protected] Indexing and Abstracting: Thomson Reuters (ISI) – Arts & Humanities Citation Index; EBSCO Humanities International Index; EBSCO Humanities International Complete; SCOPUS (Elsevier); MLA International Bibliography; The International Consortium for the Advancement of Academic Publication (ICAAP); Summon by Serial Solutions; Ulrich’s Periodicals Directory Cultura International Journal of Philosophy of Culture and Axiology Vol. 8, No. 1 (2011) Editor-in-Chief Nicolae Râmbu Bibliografische Information der Deutschen Nationalbibliothek Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek verzeichnet diese Publikation in der Deutschen Nationalbibliografie; detaillierte bibliografische Daten sind im Internet über http://dnb.d-nb.de abrufbar. © 2011 Martin Meidenbauer Verlagsbuchhandlung, München Umschlagabbildung: © Aritia Poenaru Alle Rechte vorbehalten. Dieses Werk einschließlich aller seiner Teile ist urheberrechtlich geschützt. Jede Verwertung außerhalb der Grenzen des Urhebergesetzes ohne schriftliche Zustimmung des Verlages ist unzulässig und strafbar. Das gilt insbesondere für Nachdruck, auch auszugsweise, Reproduktion, Vervielfältigung, Übersetzung, Mikroverfilmung sowie Digitalisierung oder Einspeicherung und Verarbeitung auf Tonträgern und in elektronischen Systemen aller Art. ISBN 978-3-89975-251-9 Verlagsverzeichnis schickt gern: Martin Meidenbauer Verlagsbuchhandlung Schwanthalerstr. 81 D-80336 München www.m-verlag.net CONTENTS DEBATES and DIRECTIONS. AFRICAN STUDIES Anton CARPINSCHI, Bilakani TONYEME Cultural Minorities and Intercultural Dialogue in the Dynamics of Globalization. African Participation 7 Jacob Ale AIGBODIOH Stigmatization in African Communalistic Societies and Habermas’ Theory of Rationality 27 Justina O. EHIAKHAMEN The Practice of Inheritance in Esan: the Place of the Female Child 49 Nicolito A. GIANAN Delving into the Ethical Dimension of Ubuntu Philosophy 63 Uyi-Ekpen OGBEIDE, Lambert Uyi EDIGIN Military Establishments and The Stability Of Nigeria’s Fourth Republic: Toward The Realization Of Vision 2020 83 Elvis IMAFIDON Rethinking the Individual’s Place in an African (Esan) Ontology 93 Francis Xavier GICHURU Creating a New Society, New Nation and New Leadership Quality in Kenya through African Traditional Education Principles 111 Solomon A. LALEYE Democracy in Conflict and Conflicts in Democracy: The Nigerian Experience 127 VIEWS upon ETHICS, TRUTH and LANGUAGE Jim I. UNAH Self-discovery: Who am I? An Ontologized Ethics of Self-mastery 143 Seungbae PARK Defence of Cultural Relativism 159 Simona MODREANU A Different Approach to the “Theater of the Absurd”. With Special Reference to Eugene Ionesco 171 Mario PERNIOLA Impossible, yet real! 187 Simona MITROIU To collect in order to survive: Benjamin and the necessity of collecting 213 Radu Vasile CHIALDA Weak Barbarism 223 10.3726/975251_187 Cultura. International Journal of Philosophy of Culture and Axiology 8(1)/2011: 187–212 Impossible, yet Real!1 Mario PERNIOLA Dipartimento di Ricerche Filosofiche Università di Roma “Tor Vergata” Via Columbia 1 00133 Roma, Italy [email protected] http://www.marioperniola.it/site/index.asp Abstract. In order to properly understand the period which begins at the end of the '60s last century, this must not be described anymore using the traditional categories of culture and politics. Facing events like those in May '68 in France, the Italian revolution in 1979, the fall of the Berlin wall in 1989, the attack against the Twin Towers from New York in September 2001, we are all tempted to say “impossible, yet real”. These events had immense consequences upon the individual and collective life, provoking radical upturns of traditional values and of the way people relate to these values. Thus, a new form of historicity was born, having as characteristics the perception of some phenomena both as miracles and traumas, because they seem impossible to explain rationally. In this text both the axiological mutations that occurred in the history of the last decades and the meanings of these mutations are presented in a personal way. Keywords: Cultural Studies, advertising imperialism, communication miracles and traumas, cultural memory, Georges Bataille Rarely, and only in very recent times, has humanity asked itself the question of the sense of what it is to live individually and collectively: a vast majority of human beings in the past have been absorbed by the concern of being able to survive and possibly live with less effort and more available goods. The sense of individual and collective life was not a problem, because the answer was already provided by the social condition in which it was born, and from handed down knowledge and rituals. Still, in modern times, especially in the nineteenth century and the first half of the twentieth century, in the West, especially by the classes that had reached well-being through the exercise of administrative, commercial and industrial, the tendency to look also at the unfolding of individual and social life of the existence of rational principles developed. In addition, the laws, similarly to what happened in the sciences, would have allowed not 187 Mario PERNIOLA / Impossible, yet real! only to understand what was happening, but even to foresee what