Ethics and Time: Ethos of Temporal Orientation in Politics and Religion of the Niger Delta

Ethics and Time attempts to locate ethical thinking within the response to the questions raised by temporal orientation. Time is the matrix and Moloch of social life and, for the purpose of this book, the starting point for ethical reflection. Nimi Wariboko boldly attempts to reconceptualize temporal orientation and begin a new discussion of time and ethics, using the creative synthesis of ethology, political philosophy, sociological, and intercultural perspectives. Most academic discourse contextualizes temporal orientation in terms of either “times of origin” and time preference. Wariboko identifies a third option, developing the theory and methodology that render it an object of ethical analysis and liberatory thought. He suggests that temporal orientation is the production of new temporalities that allow humans to manifest their potentialities and creatively resist obstacles that impede their thriving. Wariboko liberates the notion and habit of temporal orientation from excessive concern with conservatism and utilitarianism, showing how ethicists can use the theory of temporal orientation to question all present temporal conditions in the name of freedom.

Table of Contents:
Chapter 1 1: Creating Time Gaps Chapter 2 2: Chiefs: Subjects to Freedom Chapter 3 3: Imagination: Source of Self and Religion Chapter 4 4: Apocalypticism: The Struggle for a Relevant Future Chapter 5 5: Temporal Orientation and Philosophy of History Chapter 6 6: The Virtue of Time Chapter 7 7: Kairos and Economic Development

About the Author :
Nimi Wariboko is Katherine B. Stuart Professor of Christian Ethics at the Andover Newton Theological School.

Review :
With erudition and analytical rigor, Ethics and Time is an intellectual tour de force. The book is a sophisticated engagement of critical epistemological questions, and an imaginative tapestry of various humanistic disciplines, including religion, philosophy, politics, anthropology, sociology, history, and linguistics. It is truly captivating and intriguing. This is a must read for all those interested in engaging African societies on their own terms, and analyzing African experiences with theoretical rigor. This book is a first in many respects: the first to connect notions of social ethics with that of temporality to explain the historical trajectories of an African group; the first to frame issues of continuity within the intellectual framework of "time gaps"; and the first to truly create a notion of interdisciplinarity around the concepts of freedom and time. A truly learned book that teaches us how to relate social ethics to changing times and circumstances and to interpret the complex actions of leadership and even of the collective community.