KARL POPPER’S PRINCIPLE OF VERISIMILITUDE: A PANACEA TO ISLAMIC FANATICISM IN NIGERIA

Abstract

Nigerians are ferociously tethered to different religious sects, particularly Christianity and Islam. This makes the different religions prone to fanaticism. However, religious fanaticism is most pronounced within the Islamic sect in Nigeria. The Country’s history is deluged with many religious motivated violent attacks championed by fanatics of Islam. This sect who are driven by the erroneous assumption that Islamic religion is supreme to other religions and that the revealed ‘truths’ of Islam are manifest, that is, the truths are there for everyone to see. Hence, they become easily threatened and declare the truths of other religions as blasphemy, which they consider contrary to theirs. This has continuously led to violent attacks against those they label infidels. This paper is of the view that Karl Popper’s principle of verisimilitude can serve as a solution to this menace. Verisimilitude was a theory developed by Karl Popper to prove that truth is not manifest. In other words, that truth is not bare to all, but something that gradually unfolds as we continue to get closer through the process of conjectures and refutations. This continual evolvement of truth makes it dangerous to hold an absolutist view of it. Since Islamic fanaticism is mainly driven by an absolutist view of the truths of its doctrines, an understanding of Karl Popper’s principle of verisimilitude is a panacea to their fanaticism. This paper employs the critical reflection, analysis, evaluation and reasoned prescription method.