Have Cameroonian intellectuals proven Socrates wrong? Akere Muna

Socrates famously argued that “knowledge is virtue”—that to truly know what is right is, in effect, to do what is right. In his view, no one commits evil knowingly; wrongdoing is the product of ignorance, a failure to grasp the true nature of the good. Genuine virtue, therefore, is not a matter of appearance or status, but of deep understanding—of justice, goodness, and responsibility.

Yet as Cameroon becomes increasingly crowded with titles—Professors, Doctors, experts, and “intellectuals”—our moral condition appears to be deteriorating rather than improving. We boast more credentials than ever, but we seem to sink further into corruption, cynicism, and ethical collapse. The question is unavoidable: if knowledge truly produces virtue, why does a society rich in education feel so poor in conscience? Have we misunderstood Socrates—or have we mistaken academic attainment for moral wisdom?

Akere Muna