Humanity & Social Sciences Journal 10 (1): 40-46, 2015 ISSN 1818-4960 © IDOSI Publications, 2015 DOI: 10.5829/idosi.hssj.2015.10.1.1152 Corresponding Author: J.O. Ejikemeuwa Ndubisi, Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Tansian University, Umunya, P.O. Box: 375, Oba, Anambra State, Nigeria. 40 The Role of Philosophy in Contemporary Society: The Nigerian Experience J.O. Ejikemeuwa Ndubisi Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies,Tansian University, Umunya, P.O. Box: 375, Oba, Anambra State, Nigeria Abstract: The burden of this paper is the examination of the role of philosophy in the contemporary Nigerian society. Philosophy is viewed by some people as an irrelevant discipline; a discipline that lacks human touch. It is also viewed as an abstract enterprise only. Some people are of the view that philosophy was only relevant in the past and no longer relevant in our era of ever-growing science and technology. The pertinent questions now are: Is philosophy actually irrelevant to the contemporary society? What role does philosophy play or should play in our society? Therefore, employing the philosophical methods of analysis and phenomenology, this paper maintains that philosophy plays a vital role in our contemporary Nigerian society. The paper submits that philosophy is essential for an integral human development. It recommends for at least a little dosage of philosophical training for all, especially in all levels of our educational sector. This is premised on the fact that philosophy trains the human mind to reason correctly and rationally. And the proper training of the human mind, in the view of the researcher, translates to human and societal development. Key words: Philosophy Rationality Critical inquiry Fundamental belief and development INTRODUCTION There is no discipline that is generally misunderstood and misconceived as being irrelevant to human society as philosophy. Some people erroneously see philosophy as a discipline that is concerned only with abstract realities. For such people, philosophy has nothing to do with the real world. It is seen as mere speculations that have no practical significance. Some said that philosophy is a study in futility. Others are of the opinion that the study of philosophy, especially in our tertiary institutions has no significant value. Oftentimes, people think that students of philosophy are wasting their precious time in studying philosophy. Some non-students of philosophy do not understand what philosophy students do in their philosophy classes. Some people have rejected philosophy on the ground that it plays no important role to human life and the development of human society. In discussing how some people regard philosophy [1] observed that “many men, under the influence of science or practical affairs, are inclined to doubt whether philosophy is anything better than innocent but useless trifling, hairsplitting distinction and controversies on matters concerning which knowledge is impossible”. The implication is that some people see philosophy as practically useless. It has been observed that some people think of philosophy as a subject that solely deals with matters out of the world [2]. One thing that is very important to note is that all the views about philosophy as stated above do not state what philosophy actually is. They only succeed in stating what philosophy is not. The above views are misconceptions of the true nature of philosophy as we shall discover below.