Philosophy and the Restoration of Public Trust in Governance

Abstract

Philosophers the world over are the guardians of society. They dream up ideas and initiate principles useful for the regeneration of society and for advancement to a higher mode of consciousness for the enhancement of the comfort and happiness of humanity. This is why Plato pontificated that, “Until philosophers become kings or kings become philosophers, the society would know no peace”. The statement underscores the importance of philosophy and philosophers in the ordering of public affairs and in the survival of the human race. The restoration of public trust in governance especially in a society where greed and corruption have eaten deep into the mental fabric of society is a task not infrequently largely performed by philosophers (Momoh, 1986; Kant, 1998; Mwalimu, 2016). This paper aims to address the problem of mistrust in governance occasioned by corruption, mediocre performance and the regime of impunity by state actors. It identifies trust as the over-arching principle that bonds leaders and followers together in the delivery of public good; thus, establishing the thesis that trust is sacrosanct and sustainable if rooted in the fear of consequences and well cultivated moral character. In common parlance, “show me what a man fears and I will show you what he trusts”. The objective is to restore trust and confidence in governance and in the ordering of public affairs. It is significant in the fight against corruption, the regime of impunity and the drift towards anarchy in governance. Campbell Shittu Momoh’s theorizing on the principle of moralism and active oath-taking is a pioneering effort in this regard. The phenomenological methodology of going “back to the things themselves” and of letting issues speak for themselves will be explored in this intervention.