Moi University 7th Inagural Lecture

The issue of what constitutes human nature is not only baffling and complex but it is also as old as recorded human history on earth. The discipline that has since inception attempted to empirically shed light on this phenomenon is Anthropology. This lecture is therefore, anchored on three objectives;

To enlighten the Moi University community and others about the subject matter, theoretical and methodological perspectives that are associated with Anthropology, not only as the study of man and his works, but also as the reformer’s science;

To demonstrate how Anthropological perspectives have been applied to understanding human nature, thus in identifying humankind as unique in the animal kingdom. This is accomplished by interrogating such factors as the biblical basis of human nature as a springboard for looking for human nature in evolutionary biology through comparing human and infra-human species, and the influence of the environment and culture, among other factors;

On the basis of what is known about Anthropology and its contribution to understanding human nature, an attempt is made to assess the relationship between human nature and culture; why culture and environmental factors influence how human nature is perceived and responded to in various groups; and why in Kenya, there is need to redefine the direction the country needs to go to be assured of development and human welfare.

From the discussion, it is evident that first, in a multi-ethnic, multi-racial, multi-religious, and multi-cultural society that Kenya is, national unity and identity and ultimately, socio-economic development, cannot be achieved without first, defining national priorities in relation to a national value system and consciousness, and secondly, in recognizing the critical role social scientists, especially, Anthropologists can play in socio-cultural engineering.