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- ItemStrathmore University social and political philosophy senior students personal development projects 2009(Strathmore University, 2009) Branya, JohnINTRODUCTION This is a collection of Personal Development Projects reports done by some of the 66 evening class students of Principles of Ethics during the 2nd Semester of the year 2009. There are not necesarily the best, but they are significant. They show how «applied philosophy» could benefit all of us. A sound grounding of philosophical concepts improves our way of seeing ourselves, others and our environment. Because actions follows knowledge, proper knowledge of what we are and what we are meant to do, improves our actions, for our own and others benefit. The reports included in this sampler have been modified to preserve the privacy of the authors. Except for names and companies, the rest are «real life» situations, perceptions, actitudes and behaviours. The purpose of this sampler is to help each one of us to «budget our life» seeing how our colleagues do it. For those who want to try I have included the instructions given to the students for the project. The results of these projects are not the consequence of one subject, or one lecturer, but of the sum of efforts of the students themselves, many lecturers, mentors and other personnel who remain, as the authors, anonimous in the background, for example the project methodology was developed by Ms. C. Dean among others. edit this entry delete this entry
- ItemAnthropology for Rebels (A different way of doing philosophical anthropology)(Strathmore University Press, Nairobi, 2015) Branya, JohnAnthropology for Rebels is a highly recommended book for those interested in discovering what our person is and how it has been understood over the centuries. The title reflects the underlining attitude of the author, of not accepting any approach that reduces the human person to something inferior to its total splendor. This attitude contrasts with the common points of view one may find in pseudo–scientific and popular articles that try to reduce the human excellence to the method used to study rocks, plants, animals or numbers. The method to study the person should be above the normal use of the abstractive intelligence, or the intelligence limited to reason. There is a higher level of knowledge to the discursive knowledge, which some authors call intuitive knowledge and that Professor Sellés calls habitual knowledge. The book gives also profound insights on human affections, education, ethics and politics as part and parcel of the world created by the person. Another added advantage of this book is to be a good introduction to the Philosophical Anthropology initiated by the Spanish Philosopher Leonardo Polo and the understanding of the four personal transcendental, which give a deeper vision of the social nature of man, its radical freedom, a new view of the acting intelligence of Aristotle and a profound view of personal love.
- ItemThinking about Thinking (Theory of knowledge)(Strathmore University Press, Nairobi, 2013) Branya, JohnWe are continuously thinking but we are not aware of the process unless we stop what we are doing and pause to think about our thinking. The same hap- pens with breathing. Once we are conscious of our breathing we can start experiment to know our powers: we can try to breathe faster, deeper, stop breathing for a while. We can then change impressions with our friends and even devote time to study the process of breathing as a scientist does. To think about thinking is to pause and try to go as deeper as we can into this tool that makes it possible we think about any other thing than thinking itself. While it is true that we can think very well without stopping to consider
- ItemKenya's water act : opportunities for integration of customary institutions of water governance through water resources users associations and water service providers(LawText, 2011) Gachenga, ElizabethThe need to develop sustainable systems for water resource governance in an environment of increasing scarcity and climatic variability has led to the re-evaluation of institutional frameworks. There has been a growing appreciation of the need to coordinate institutions involved in order to achieve sustainable water resource governance. Law and regulatory frameworks for water governance in some countries face the challenge of integrating parallel institutional arrangements such as community-based or customary institutions with statutory institutions. The provision for water users associations (WUAs) in the water statutes of several developing countries is an example of the attempt to bring these parallel institutions into the statutory framework. By recognizing WUAs, the statutes provide pre-existing institutions with the opportunity, upon registration, to participate in water resource governance issues. It is argued that this makes them a potential tool for integrating pre-existing customary institutions into the statutory system and in some way providing an interface between statutory and customary law systems. In Kenya's Water Act, the concept of WUAs is embodied in Water Resources Users Associations (WRUAs) and to some extent in Water Service Providers (WSPs). This article analyses the extent to which WRUAs and WSPs are effective in integrating customary institutions into statutory frameworks using a case study of the customary water resource governance system of the Marakwet.
- ItemGoverning the commons through customary law systems of water governance(CEESP and IUCN, 2014) Gachenga, ElizabethThe resilience of customary law systems of natural resource governance in many parts of the world lends credence to Ostrom’s theory on the governance of commons. Ostrom argued that resource users who enjoy relative autonomy in the design of rules for governing and managing common-pool resources, frequently achieve better economic (as well as more equitable) outcomes than when experts do this for them.2 In support of this theory and acknowledging that most common pool resource governance regimes are based on a customary law system, Bosselman has sought to demonstrate a link between customary law systems and positive outcomes for sustainable development.3 Using a case study of the customary law system of water governance of the Marakwet community of Kenya, this paper tests and builds on the design principles and tools developed by Ostrom, to study normative institutions in a dynamic environment.4 The paper proposes an analytical framework that helps identify the features that strengthen customary institutions and ensure their adaptability and resource sustainability. This exercise illustrates the parallels between commons governance and customary law governance of natural resources.