FOREWORD
Michael Bassey Eneyo is becoming a name associated with the Philosophy of fear. He has worked himself respectably into the hallowed horizon of the concept of fear. He has done a lot of work in the area of the Philosophy of fear aptly tagged “fearology”. Fearology, for me, is the scientific and philosophical study of fear. Eneyo has carried this analytical investigation into the entrails of fear such that the results are thrilling, fascinating, revealing, enthralling, informative and amazing.
The concept of fear is always seen from the point of view of what is dreaded. We now know better that the concept of fear can be studied philosophically, sociologically, economically, politically, psychologically, religiously, spiritually, administratively, ethically and scientifically. Fear permeates the warp and woof of human existence.
In this small but powerful book, Eneyo indulges our intellectual appetite by giving us another full course meal on the concept of fear. He has titled it Mastering the Secrets of Fear: A Fearological Manual. This work of first importance contains issues like “how to master the secrets of fear’’, ‘’different perspectives on fear’’, ‘’underlying causes of fear”, ‘’disposing and heightening causes of fear in the modern world’’, “emotional dimensions of fear”, “principles for mastering fear”, and ‘’overcoming fear and knowing it”. I can categorically say that Eneyo has attempted, in a prodigious manner, an ambitious project, which provides us with calculus of fear (which I call Fearological Calculus) akin to the Hedonistic calculus of Jeremy Bentham.
We must appreciate Eneyo for this bold, audacious and insightful foray into this hitherto unexplored dimension of human reality. Though scholars like Soren Kierkegaard in Fear and trembling, Albert Camus in The Myth of Sisyphus, Desh Subba in Philosophy of Fearism, R. Michael Fisher in “Introduction to Fearology” and a few others have done some work in the area of fear and fearology, none is as home-grown and apposite as Eneyo’s philosophical insight.
I, therefore, wholeheartedly commend Eneyo for doggedly, resolutely and irresistibly leading us into this untapped mine called FEAR, a concept so pervasive and yet very little discussed as though fear has compelled mankind not to discuss it so it can continue to keep us in its perpetual bondage. Thankfully, Eneyo has burst this bondage asunder and mankind is now set free, never to be held in its captivity any longer. We can only overcome fear by knowing about it and its dynamics. I recommend this book to those who desire to know about fear and have mastery over it. It is a bourgeoning area of interest in philosophy and psychology. Therefore, I encourage students and lovers of knowledge to read this work for spectacular enlightenment.
Professor G. O. Ozumba
Department of Philosophy
University of Calabar, Calabar – Nigeria
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