118 MAKURDIOWL JOURNAL OF PHILOSOPHY (MAJOP)

7
BOOK REVIEW
Title of Book: Selected Themes in the Study of
Philosophical Anthropology
Name of Author: Damian Tersoo Anyam
Reviewer: Zaato M. Nor, Ph.D
Year of Publication: Not Available
Number of Pages: 89

Introduction
Man is a dynamic and complex being. It is basically from
this understanding of man that the existentialists,
particularly Jean-Paul Sartre, see man as a being that lacks
a comprehensive and holistic definition. It is also premised
on man’s dynamism and complexity that diverse academic
disciplines as well as scientific methods to understudy him
became evolved. Philosophical Anthropology is one of such
academic endevours whose sole aim is to provide (a) holistic
philosophical answer(s) on the question; ‘who is man?’ in
contradistinction to the question; ‘what is man?’. Several
works have been lavishly put up by scholars in this regard.
The book: Selected Themes in the Study of Philosophical
Anthropology by Damian Tersoo Anyam also takes a cue
from the understanding that man need to be studied
absolutely. The book is pointedly, according to the author
 BOOK REVIEW 119
in the preface: “aimed at inculcating firsthand knowledge
to beginners in the area of philosophical anthropology”.194
He stresses that by constant reflection on the selected themes
as advanced in the book, one would enhance his/her
understanding of the different dimensions of man. He adds
that by so doing, the sense of human life and value of
existence would become manifest. These objectives clearly,
constitute the focus of the work.
However, rather than an all-embracing approach to the
study of man, the work selectively adopts themes for its
discourse based on an existing work as clearly demonstrated
in the title the book. The author during the ‘assemblage’ of
the book, contentedly assures the reader that the book herein
referred to as “this piecemeal” is actually “an accumulative
efforts of my lectures in this area for the past years” (sic).195
What the author intended to say is that the book is a product
of his accumulated years of research and teaching in the
area of Philosophical Anthropology. However, there are
some philosophical solicitudes arising from the assemblage.

Issues of Philosophical Solicitudes in Selected Themes in

the Study of Philosophical Anthropology
Philosophy thrives on questions and that is why right
questions in philosophy are superior to answers. If the
foregoing contention is true then the premise: “It has not
been easy to assemble such a scholarly write-up” (sic) (iii)
raises some fundamental questions. One question begging
for answer(s) at this moment is: What is the meaning of
assemble (with recourse to philosophy of language)?
Besides, if among other considerations, the intention was
to write a simplified work on man as a subject of philosophy

194. Anyam, Damian Tersoo, Selected Themes in the Study of Philosophical Anthropology, (Makurdi:
Obeta Continental Press, 2007),P. iv.
195. Anyam, Damian Tersoo, Selected Themes in the Study of Philosophical Anthropology, P. iv.
120 MAKURDIOWL JOURNAL OF PHILOSOPHY (MAJOP)

for easy understanding and assimilation then, it appears

that singular aim is defeated. The clarity in question is
totally mortgaged and indeed, jettisoned. This is more so,
because there is no critical analysis leading to perspectives
to give direction to the ‘assemblage’. The use of the word
“assemble” (iii) is an honest admission of what the “author”
has done. According to the Oxford Advanced Learner’s
Dictionary of Current English, the word “assemble” is
ordinarily a verb. However, in the context that it is
employed by the author and as also recommended by
English language scholars, “assemble” is also used as a
transitive verb in which case it is a ‘verb plus noun phrase’,
VN. Thus, to assemble means: “to fit together all the separate
parts of something”.196
Again to say, “This piecemeal is an accumulative efforts
of my lectures in this area for the past years” (iv) means (i)
the book was written in a disorganized, haphazard or
fragmented manner. (ii) It is also ungrammatical to say
‘accumulative efforts’. It is rather accumulated efforts if at
all there is something like that as efforts are not countable.
For philosophers of language, linguists and critical minds,
these statements among several other absences, means there
is fundamentally the absence of clarity, lucidity and even
originality. Thus, the claim that: “Students showed much
interest in my lectures and requested that a book be written
in a simplified form to ease understanding and for clarity
of purposes” (sic) (iv) is glaringly defeated. More so, when
you talk of assemblage you are simply fitting together
components parts as exemplified in a model. In other words,
a model is what serves as a standard to measure what is
assembled. When we talk of creativity, it is the individual(s)

196. Hornby, A. S., Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary of Current English, (7th edition) (Oxford:
Oxford University Press, 2006), P. 74.
 BOOK REVIEW 121
who designed the model that is (are) ingenious. Here, we
may recall the Peugeot Assembly of Nigeria (PAN) in
Kaduna, Nigeria where components parts are brought in
and fitted together to have Peugeot cars. But this is at the
level of technology where one is licensed to do so. At the
level of ideas, it is unlawful to begin to “assemble” other
persons’ ideas without authorization either from the author
or the publishers of such a work or copyright owners. Of
course, no serious academic is ignorant of the consequences
of assembling from an existing form without adequate
acknowledgements. What the author has confessed doing
is to have acted in the latter. This essay shall elaborate on
this with relevant citations from Selected Themes in the Study
of Philosophical Anthropology.

Assemblages and Illogicalities in Selected Themes in the

Study of Philosophical Anthropology
Beginning with the title of chapter one: Philosophical
Anthropology: Methods and History and save sub-heading
one: “Who is Man?” which is the title of Abraham J. Heschel’s
book, the rest are the same sub-headings in: ‘Philosophical
Anthropology by Battista Mondin’.197
Chapter two like chapter one is a verbatim reproduction
of Mondin’s book both in sub-headings and in text content.
What the “assembler” did in this chapter is to expunge
“vitalism or mechanism?” which constitutes the first sub-
heading in chapter two. Thus, the assemblage had only four
sub-headings instead of five originally outlined by Mondin.
‘Phenomenology of Human Action’ is also considered
under chapter two but unfortunately, the reader is not
carried along as the ‘assembler’ unconsciously took for

197. Mondin, Battista, Philosophical Anthropology, (Bangalore: Theological Publications of India,

2007), P. i.
122 MAKURDIOWL JOURNAL OF PHILOSOPHY (MAJOP)

granted the importance of what Phenomenology is all

about. It does not make sense to discuss phenomenology
of human action without saying what phenomenology itself,
is.
The discourse on “Self-Transcendence” which makes up
chapter three is also an assemblage from Mondin’s book.
Clearly, the “assembler” found the two other sub-headings:
“Recent Developments in the Doctrine of Self-
Transcendence” and the “Meaning of Self-Transcendence”
unfitting in his task of ‘assembling a scholarly write-up’.
However, as usual, Mondin is reproduced verbatim under
the sub-heading: “Self-transcendence”. The chapter is the
shortest in the ‘assemblage’ with six pages including
references and a total of 1,225 words (Works Cited
inclusive).198
Chapter four titled: “Freedom” even though derived
from Mondin’s book, however relied less on direct
reproduction from the Professor of Philosophy and
Theology. Apart from a quotation of six lines from the
Catholic cleric, the ‘assembler’ shifted his focus to the lecture
notes of Professor Thomas F. Mason, during his days at the
St. Thomas Aquinas’ Major Seminary, (STAMS) Makurdi,
Benue State, Nigeria. The ‘assembler’ in his characteristic
manner generously copied from this source.
One thing very unique about chapter four is that the
‘assembler’ of Selected Themes in the Study of Philosophical
Anthropology tries to be creative by introducing his subject
with some preambles and advancing some explanations.
This is obviously, contrary to his tradition of just
reproducing what has been written by others. However, this
attempt ends up in a disaster, raising a lot of contradictions

198. See Page 29- 34 of Anyam, Damian Tersoo’s Selected Themes in the Study of Philosophical
Anthropology.
 BOOK REVIEW 123
and illogicalities. For instance, the ‘assembler’ says:
“Freedom is hardly a new idea in our history”.199 In other
words, freedom to the ‘assembler’ is a mere idea in human
history. By this, freedom is reduced to an intangible being
and thus, by implication cannot be practically applied and
evaluated. Apparently, this view rules out the possibility
of assessing or measuring freedom in human situation. He
stresses that: “It is vital to note that freedom is an illusive
(sic) and important question in human existence”.200 Clearly,
there are two propositions here that are quite consequential
when x-rayed from the logical laws of thought. They are:
1. ‘It is vital to note that freedom is an elusive question
in human existence’ and
2. ‘It is vital to note that freedom is an important
question in human existence’.

Surely, this is a warped thinking and therefore, a

violation of the laws of thought. The law maintains that: “A
cannot be both A and not- A. Nothing can be both A and
not- A at the same time and in the same context”.201 The
reader is told that freedom is elusive and at the same time
important question to man. How can what is fleeting
constitute a fundamental concern to man?
The assembler found himself in this position based on a
wrong preamble. Rather than conceive freedom as an
idea…’, it should have been ‘the idea of freedom is hardly
new in human history’. By ‘the idea of freedom’, it is made
much more practical as it implies an ideal which finds
expression in different aspects of man’s gregarious existence
such as: freedom of thought, freedom of choice, freedom of

199. Anyam, Damian Tersoo, Selected Themes in the Study of Philosophical Anthropology, P. 35.
200. Anyam, Damian Tersoo, Selected Themes in the Study of Philosophical Anthropology, P. 35.
201. Nwala, T. U., A Modern Introduction to Philosophy and Logic, (Nsukka: Niger Books and
Publishing, 1997), P. 17.
124 MAKURDIOWL JOURNAL OF PHILOSOPHY (MAJOP)

worship, freedom of movement, freedom of marriage, etc.

From these aspects and others not mentioned here, one can
easily assess or evaluate a particular aspect of freedom from
the ideal which has been an idea in the minds of a people
of a spatio-temporal reality. For instance, if people in a
particular socio-cultural context are free or are at liberty to
worship God, stone, snake, carved images, rainbow,
streams/rivers, etc without any molestation or restriction
by other person(s) or authority or institution, etc, such a
society can easily be assessed and given the verdict of
enjoying or practicing freedom of worship. In other words,
freedom of worship is a situation of non-interference of any
kind in one’s desire to worship any object or being of his/
her choice. Though freedom itself may be difficult to
measure, however, when it is reduced to a particular aspect,
it constitutes no problem at all in evaluation.
There are yet more illogicalities emanating from this
chapter. According to the “author”: “For the more we
understand freedom, the more we shall be in a position to
protect and enhance it”.202 Just a while ago, the assembler
told the reader that freedom is elusive. And here we are,
being told that intangible as freedom is, it could be
understood. Unfortunately, the “author” failed to articulate
how freedom can be put in praxis and understood. If the
way(s) to understand freedom is (are) not explicitly defined
then, how can one know that freedom needs to be protected
and promoted?
Chapter five dwells on culture. It thus constitutes the
kernel of the work under consideration and it is in this wise,
very intriguing. It preoccupies itself with culture as an
element that is quintessential to Philosophy and
Anthropology. This is especially so when culture is seen as

202. Anyam, Damian Tersoo, Selected Themes in the Study of Philosophical Anthropology, P. 35.
 BOOK REVIEW 125
being intrinsic to the worldview of a people. By this, the
relationship between Philosophy and Anthropology
becomes very obvious (as disciplines concerned with the
total ways of life of a people in a socio-cultural context).
Nevertheless, what appears ridiculous in the book is the
direct association of the origin of culture with the origin of
language variations as narrated in the biblical account of
the Towel of Babel. The “author” makes the point that: “at
the beginning of human beings, there was common
perception, common understanding, as well a common
problems and solutions”.203 In other words, humanity at
large shared a common language and by implication,
participated in a common culture informed by language.
This is in addition to sharing common problems and
collective solutions. The implication of this argument is that
culture is synonymous with language. It is like saying that
there is culture because there is language. This thinking is
simply fallacious. Language which is non-material culture
is just an aspect of culture and culture cannot be reduced
to language. If this is erroneously made the case, then
invariably material culture ceases to be as it simply will
become part of language which is distinctively seen as non-
material culture. Culture encompasses language and other
aspects of life of a people which can be exemplified in
material forms. It is basically from this understanding that
Edward B. Tylor defines culture as: “That complex whole
which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, custom,
and habits acquired by man as a member of society”.204
Clearly, it is misleading to make culture synonymous with
language. For instance, my ability to speak English language
does not make me an Englishman or that I practice English

203. Anyam, Damian Tersoo, Selected Themes in the Study of Philosophical Anthropology, P. 52.
204. Gbor, John W. T., The Concept of Culture and Tiv Cultural Values, (Jos: Seye Prints, 2008),
P. 1.
126 MAKURDIOWL JOURNAL OF PHILOSOPHY (MAJOP)

culture. Language is essential in cultural expression,

demonstration and identity but does not constitute the
ontology of culture. Moreover, language goes beyond the
spoken word to sign language and the artificial language
or scientific language of computers and the rest. One now
wonders which of these aspects of language the “assembler”
is alluding to as prompting a common way of life? Thus,
the inattention paid to the different kinds of knowledge by
the “assembler” greatly limited the subject matter under
consideration. He is oblivious of the fact that besides the
‘Tower of Babel’ and the “Naming of God’s creatures” by
man as narrated in the book of Genesis, which amounted to
the biblical account of the divine origin theory of language,
there is also the Lucretian account/the social/the
evolutionary origin theory of language. All the “assembler”
needed to do was to put forward the different theories and
marshal out arguments for the one he feels is most plausible
rather than giving the impression to the ignorant student/
reader that the divine theory is absolute.
The issue of death and destiny came up in chapter six
and this draws the curtain on the ‘assembled book’. Like
the previous chapters, it is characterized by gross
plagiarism. For instance, of the 114 words on page 59 of the
work under consideration, only 19 out of the words are
appropriately cited thus, leading to the non-
complementarity of Mondin’s ideas.

Non-complementary Philosophical Views in Selected

Themes in The Study of Philosophical Anthropology
Away from reproduction of people’s ideas, the “assembler”
raised the issue of death and destiny and for once, tries to
be philosophical. He quickly recoils back to the
commonsensical biblical position that death entered the
world through the disobedience of Adam and his consort
 BOOK REVIEW 127
in the ‘Garden of Eden’ which is christened the original sin.
Again, he concedes as prompted by the Bible that the wages
of sin is death. Regarding the hereafter or one’s destiny after
death, the views of different philosophers and philosophical
schools are articulated. However, there is no position taken
by the “assembler” for want of originality or contribution
to the issues advanced. In view of the conclusion of chapter
six which is drawn from Professor J. I. Omoregbe’s Inaugural
Lecture, the “assembler” did not conceal his favourable
disposition to the Christian idea of resurrection anchored
on the belief that God created everything and thus, can
address all ontological and metaphysical questions.
Exciting as the issues of death and destiny seemingly
appeared, there is dearth of philosophical treatment of them.
Philosophy blossoms on speculation, criticism, analyses
and logical clarification of thought. Thus, when a premise
like: ‘sin entered the world through the fall of man’ is
employed, what quickly comes to mind is the thinking that
God’s attributes of ‘omniscience, omnipotent and
omnipresence’ are suspect. Again, when people worship
God in anticipation of going to heaven after this life, the
issue of presenting death as a punishment becomes difficult
to understand. Yet, if God is benevolent, why must death
be employed as a medium which one must pass through in
order to attain blissfulness in the hereafter? Does it mean
God has no other way(s) to take the believers to heaven
and hell? Is there any saint that did not die before going to
heaven? More so, the “assembler” is indifferent towards
the strong position of the Epicureans that ‘there is no
afterlife’. He is also unresponsive to the thinking of the
atheists and the agnostics. Again, is death taken as
punishment in all cultures? Surely, the Tiv man prior to his
contact with Christianity never saw death as punishment
neither did he saw death as dying to go to hell or heaven.
128 MAKURDIOWL JOURNAL OF PHILOSOPHY (MAJOP)

These blatant neglects robbed the book of any philosophical

exploration and appeal thus confirming that the work is
rather a religious apologetic work.

Distortions of Mondin’s Thesis in Selected Themes in the

Study of Philosophical Anthropology
Beyond the assemblages and illogicalities, there is also the
consequential issue of the distortions of the ideas of Mondin.
It is pertinent to highlight some of these misrepresentations.
According to the “assembler”: “To Mondin, the question of
who man is and all what not can only be handled by
philosophy which he believed have an adequate and
exhaustive answer for at least on a rational level” (sic).205
This is an obvious infraction of Mondin’s view. Mondin is
not at all categorical about the issue of satisfactory and
conclusive answer regarding the question; “who is man?”
Let’s hear Mondin: “Who is man?: this is an interrogative
for which only philosophy can search for and –PERHAPS-
find an adequate and exhaustive answer for on the rational
level”.206 What Mondin is saying is that the question: “Who
is man?” is an enquiry or a critical investigation of man in
his totality or wholeness which only philosophy can
entertain. Unlike disciplines which pick up particular
aspects of man for analysis, Mondin sees philosophy as a
discipline that has the capability and capacity of tackling
all aspects of reality regarding man holistically. As such,
philosophy can address metaphysical, ontological,
psychological, transcendental, emotional, mind, conscience,
death and issues of apprehensions, etc as human realities
as against science.
Though, not being oblivious of the limitations of
philosophical study, Mondin is quick to point out the
205. Anyam, Damian Tersoo, Selected Themes in the Study of Philosophical Anthropology, P. 3.
206. Mondin, Battista, Philosophical Anthropology, P. 2.
 BOOK REVIEW 129
probability of the outcome of such an enquiry. It is on this
basis that he employed the word “PERHAPS” in the above
quotation as an expression of probability. Besides, Mondin
is not unconscious that this exercise or enquiry which is
carried out at the level of reason cannot be absolute as it is
opened to different rational analyses and cultural
interpretations and hence, remains probable. Thus, to have
presented Mondin’s view as being emphatic that
philosophy has an adequate and exhaustive answer on the
question: “Who is man?”, amounts to gross distortion of
Mondin’s thought. For the sake of emphasis and clarity and
as against the above misrepresentation, Mondin in his
conclusion regarding the question “Who is man?” states
that: “this is an interrogative that has always been posed to
philosophy, from the beginning, both in the East and West;
nevertheless, it has been posed without philosophy
succeeding in reaching a satisfactory and conclusive
response”.207
In yet another scandalous misrepresentation of Mondin’s
thought, the assembled book, which is a verbatim
reproduction of Philosophical Anthropology, skipped some
consequential words on Mondin’s thesis. According to
Mondin:

The scientists have strongly redimensioned the

pretexts of their knowledge, after having taken
stock of the fact that their methods and
instruments are not able to capture the ultimate
questions, and thus today they voluntarily
delegate to philosophy the task of affronting and
resolving these questions, if a resolution is
possible.208
207. See Battista Mondin’s Philosophical Anthropology, P. 3-4.
208. Battista Mondin’s Philosophical Anthropology, P. 2-3.
130 MAKURDIOWL JOURNAL OF PHILOSOPHY (MAJOP)

The assembler in misrepresentation Mondin thesis says to

the contrary that:

The scientists have strongly redimensioned the

pretexts of their knowledge, after their methods
and instruments are not able to capture the
ultimate questions, and thus today the (sic)
voluntarily delegate to philosophy the task of
affronting and resolving these questions, if a
resolution is possible.209

The distortion presented above is from the perspective of

the scientists. Mondin also took a swipe on philosophers
which clearly, is silenced by the assembler. In a reaction
against the philosophers, Mondin says: “The philosophers,
on their part, have realized that the contribution that they
have given and can give to science to clarify the mystery of
man is a small one indeed”.210It is not contestable here that
what has been yanked off is Mondin’s high point aimed at
proving that “illuminism” and “positivism” represented
by philosophy and science respectively, have failed to
address the issue of the mystery of man and as such, are
misadventures in the study of man.
Furthermore, Mondin is quoted by Anyam to have said
that: “recently, theologians have allowed themselves and
have also given an anthropocentric foundation to their
discipline”. 211 This is a phrase and at best, a clumsy
expression which is a far cry from Mondin’s view. On the
contrary, Mondin says: “Recently, even theologians have
allowed themselves TO BE CAPTURED BY THE

209. Anyam, Damian Tersoo, Selected Themes in the Study of Philosophical Anthropology, P. 4.
210. See Battista Mondin’s Philosophical Anthropology, P. 3.
211. Anyam, Damian Tersoo, Selected Themes in the Study of Philosophical Anthropology, P. 4.
 BOOK REVIEW 131
ANTHROPOLOGICAL TREND, and have also given an
anthropocentric foundation to their discipline”.212 There is
no use stating the obvious from the foregoing. The contort
brought about by the removal of the words put in capital
letters is grave. Thus, the deformation has completely
altered Mondin’s idea and in addition, falsified what he
considers as the influence on theologians. Suffice it to say
that, like the other prominent features of misrepresentation,
and/or verbatim reproduction of other scholars’ ideas, the
assembled book has a resounding obsession for distortion.
If not for the distortions, the appropriate title of the work
should have been: SELECTED THEMES FROM BATTISTA
MONDIN’S PHILOSOPICAL ANTHROPOLOGY. Surely, if
Mondin who died only in 2015, precisely on the 29th of
January, was given a copy of the work ‘assembled’ in 2007,
he would have died earlier because of the disgusting
distortions of his ideas.
Amazingly, the work which considered several themes
under Philosophical Anthropology, reduced everything in
its conclusion to human existential predicament, the
position advanced by Professor Joseph I. Omoregbe in his
Inaugural Lecture titled: “The Human Predicament: Has
Human Life On Earth Any Ultimate Purpose, Any Ultimate
Meaning? –An Existential Inquiry”. The assembler in his
book reproduced Omoregbe’s conclusion verbatim and also
recommended religion as a panacea to the meaning of “who
is man?” According to him:

Let us conclude this discourse with the words of

Omoregbe …the human predicament is the
situation in which man simply finds himself in
the world without knowing why he is here, the

212. See Battista Mondin’s Philosophical Anthropology, P. 7-8.

132 MAKURDIOWL JOURNAL OF PHILOSOPHY (MAJOP)

purpose of his existence and what will happen

to him when he dies.213

Going further and recommending how to avert the fear of

death Anyam quoting Omoregbe adds that:

The best thing for man to do in order to get out

of this predicament called death is to seek his
maker, his creator, dialogue with him, and
interact with him. Only his maker knows why
he made him, why he is in this world, what he is
supposed to do, where he is coming from and
where he is going to. It is only God that can
answer this existential question about the
purpose and meaning of life. This process of
dialogue and interaction with ones creator is
called religion and it is the only authentic way
out of the human predicament.214

However, unmistakably, this conclusion begs the question.

Did the author set out to proffer answer(s) to the human
predicament called death? Is death a holistic study of man?
What of the existentialists’ contention that death is a human
existential facticity? Can anything be done to avoid death?
Is there anything positive about death? What about the
contention that death is simply a gate valve to other worlds?
Meanwhile, surely, religion cannot be the defining factor
in the context of ‘who man is’. If religion is considered as
such, then which of the popular and unpopular religions,
bearing in mind the plethora of religions of mankind, would

213. Anyam, Damian Tersoo, Selected Themes in the Study of Philosophical Anthropology, P. 75.
214. Anyam, Damian Tersoo, Selected Themes in the Study of Philosophical Anthropology, P. 76.
See Joseph Omoregbe’s Inaugural Lecture entitled “The Human Predicament: Has Human Life
on Earth Any Ultimate Purpose, Any Ultimate Meaning? – An Existential Inquiry”, delivered at
the University of Lagos (Lagos: University of Lagos Press, 2001) for a detailed exposition of the
thoughts of Omoregbe on the subject matter under consideration and the context of usage.
 BOOK REVIEW 133
blaze the trial? Which is the authentic religion (as other
religions are always despised by a particular one for being
inferior)? Are all religions the same? Is it all religions that
have the conception of maker or creator in them and heaven
and hell in them?
Away from the very obvious flaws as evaluated, the
assembler exhibited no trace of clearly defined
methodology and perspective of approach. The works
consulted for the assemblage are quite minimal as this is
clearly shown in the themes assembled and how the
explanations were handled. The work shows clearly a
dearth of any discernable style and originality. It is not
expository, evaluative, analytical, comparative or narrative,
etc. More so, the assembler has no articulated position
which he wanted to communicate to others. In this wise,
the reader especially the students may only gain little or
nothing from reading this work. The reader is not
stimulated nor challenged in any way as the work opened
no new vista in the annals of knowledge or scholarly world.
For instance, there are lots of misinformation, disinformation
and falsehood put forward such as the assembler’s
contention that ‘Judaism and Islam are western theistic
religions’.215 These contentions coming from a scholar are
worrisome.
Again, quotations are immediately followed by new ones
such as those found on pages 75 and 76, etc of Selected Themes
in the Study of Philosophical Anthropology. At the same time,
there are catalogues of meaningless expressions like:

The Tiv of central Nigeria never lived in either of

those cultures and would consider men kissing
their fellow men as ridiculous and feeble,

215. Anyam, Damian Tersoo, Selected Themes in the Study of Philosophical Anthropology, P. 75.
134 MAKURDIOWL JOURNAL OF PHILOSOPHY (MAJOP)

although chiefs may embrace distinguished

guests as a sign of cordiality and welcome.
English gentlemen get up for a lady, but a Tiv
lady reverse is the case.216

Another phrase says: “As the child grows and develops

some measure of independence, he fears all kinds of
strategies for survival, he plays with the age-mates, goes to
school or takes food to those working in the farm or learns
whatever trade in keeping with culture”.217 Further, the
assembler says in another meaningless expression that: “the
account claims common tongue for all men at the beginning.
This implies that at the beginning of human beings, there
was common perception, common understanding as well
as common problems and solutions”.218 This expression is
simply incredible. Hear the assembler in yet another
throwaway expression:

For man to know who he is, what his origin is,

what his destiny is, what constitutes his life and
all what not, he must therefore look at his being
in totality. We cannot afford to be in different
with ourselves as if we are bush animals such as
dogs, cats, horses, monkeys, etc. We must as
matter of necessity occupy and at the same time
preoccupy ourselves with the sense of our life
and the value of our existence.219

Similarly, the assembler has no iota of respect for the rules

of grammar such as “concord” and “agreement”, etc as he
passionately violates these rules in their legions. Generally,
grammatical errors and typographical errors are a common
216. Anyam, Damian Tersoo, Selected Themes in the Study of Philosophical Anthropology, P. 48.
217. Anyam, Damian Tersoo, Selected Themes in the Study of Philosophical Anthropology, P. 51.
218. Anyam, Damian Tersoo, Selected Themes in the Study of Philosophical Anthropology, P. 52.
219. Anyam, Damian Tersoo, Selected Themes in the Study of Philosophical Anthropology, P. 1.
 BOOK REVIEW 135
sight as no page; beginning from page ii to the back cover,
is spared. He says on the back cover of the book in reference
to himself that: “His taste for more wisdom (sic) took him
to the only known varsity in the South Sahara and North of
the Niger, Benue State University, Makurdi”. I am not a
geographer but I make bold to say that there is no where
one can find a spatio-temporal reality known as South
Sahara and North of the Niger that is housing Benue State
University, Makurdi. Thus, on the whole, critical thinkers,
grammarians, linguists, philosophers of language and other
persons with knack for finesse in English language and taste
for free-flowing semantics as well as coherence shall find
the work somewhat irritating if not disgusting.

Concluding Remarks
In spite of all the philosophical solicitudes, the assembler
had nevertheless, published. No doubt, people publish for
basically two purposes: posterity and other benefits which
are best known to the author. The publication under
consideration is no doubt motivated by the latter reason.
But all the same, in academics, Professor Peter Bodunrin
strongly commends criticism saying that: “The greatest
compliment you can pay a philosopher and any scholar for
that matter is to criticize his work”.220 This article is a critical
consideration of Selected Themes in the Study of Philosophical
Anthropology. It is thus, the greatest compliment paid to the
author and ‘scholar’ for assembling a scholarly write-up.
Meanwhile, it suffices to say that apparently the subject
matter undertaken by author lacks an in depth treatment.
Moreover, the right language, the scope and the logics of
addressing the primitive issues relating to the holistic study
of man are kept in abeyance. Accordingly, the author more
220. Peter Bodunrin (ed), Philosophy and Africa: Trends and Perspectives (Ile-Ife: University of Ife
Press, 1985), P. xv.
136 MAKURDIOWL JOURNAL OF PHILOSOPHY (MAJOP)

than anything else, has succeeded in confusing the students/

readers rather than enlightening them. Meanwhile, the
candid counsel to the author in view of the legion or
quantum of errors by omission and commission contained
in the 89-page book printed in 14-point font size, is that, he
must as a matter of urgency, overhaul the entire work for
comprehension and contribution to knowledge. In addition,
he must in humility, tender unreserved apologies to his
students/readers over the years for gross misinformation
and infringement on Mondin’s philosophical ideas which
he must also make atonement for the sins committed
against Mondin, now a philosophical ancestor inhabiting
the World of Forms.