Olúkáyọ̀dé R. ADÉṢUYÌ | Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, Nigeria (original) (raw)
Papers by Olúkáyọ̀dé R. ADÉṢUYÌ
Filosofia Theoretica: Journal of African Philosophy, Culture and Religions, 2014
The paper attempts an analysis of African philosophy from the commencement of its ontological deb... more The paper attempts an analysis of African philosophy from the commencement of its ontological debate and focuses on its relevance in culture. The paper does not contribute to the debate, since the debate is no longer a serious issue among African philosophers and scholars. It, however, states the importance of the debate to the field of African philosophy. It explains culture as an all encompassing phenomenon and that it serves as a relevant source for the discussion on African philosophy. It uses functionalism and structuralism as theories that could be used to understand African philosophy and culture. The theories are to expatiate how the concerned can analyze African philosophy and other relevant things. The paper concludes that given the understanding of these theories African philosophy can be understood in their directions. KEYWORDS: functionalism, structuralism, culture, ontological debate.
A dominant feature in the medieval philosophy is the fact that the thoughts at that time were inf... more A dominant feature in the medieval philosophy is the fact that the thoughts at that time were influenced by church men, especially the doctrines of Christianity. For any theory to survive it had to gain the support of the church men; otherwise, such would cease to flourish. The political theories in the medieval periods were not exceptions. There was the presence of the relationship between the spiritual and the temporal powers. Given this, the political theory of Thomas Aquinas and some medieval philosophers, who came before, during his period and/or after, had the same characterizing factor.
UJAH: Unizik Journal of Arts and Humanities, 2015
This paper makes case for African Philosophy. While it tries to defend it just like previous pape... more This paper makes case for African Philosophy. While it tries to defend it just like previous papers have done, it differs on the mode of defence. It, instead, shows the content that serves as ingredient, which other papers have failed to show, for African Philosophy. It argues and concludes that the existence African Philosophy is grounded on the existence of African art works and aesthetics, which are philosophical.
S O C R a T E S, Oct 10, 2014
Soul has been conceived as an essential element of human composition. In Philosophy and other rel... more Soul has been conceived as an essential element of human composition. In Philosophy and other related discipline, its study and treatment have generated attentions and contributions from scholars in these various fields. Plato, in his own conception, affirms the reality of soul, its importance to human being and its transcendental works which he has shown in some of his dialogues. It is in line with this that Plato advances arguments for reincarnation, an aspect of the immortality of the soul. This paper, therefore, attempts a critical analysis of the arguments from alternation and recollection for the immortality of the soul in Plato’s Phaedo. It argues that Plato fails to prove beyond reasonable doubt the reality of the soul. It also mentions that its proof for reincarnation which is hinged on the reality of the soul is not tenable. The paper, therefore, concludes, using the method of philosophical argumentation, that the arguments are neither plausible nor tenable enough to establish his claim.
Yoruba video film industry is dominated mostly by men. This, perhaps, might not be unconnected wi... more Yoruba video film industry is dominated mostly by men. This, perhaps, might not be unconnected with the fact that the history of Yoruba film, which dated back to Alarinjo popular theatre, started with, and to a large extent by, men or that women in the literary universe were relegated. Crew partitioning in Yoruba video film production seems to be a further proof or, put in another way, a giant, but unproductive attempt at solidifying this age long (deliberate or otherwise) subjugation of women in the industry; hence, directing is the crew in focus. This study critically assessed crew partitioning in Yoruba video film productions in connection with female directing. It also looked, critically, the conceptions of scholars on women generally and their contributions to knowledge production. This is with the view to showing the sustainability or otherwise of female directing in the contemporary Yoruba video film industry in relation to knowledge production. The method of conceptual clari...
OMNES: The Journal of Multicultural Society, 2016
The paper critically examines the concept of Adin-aladin (alien culture) in contemporary Akurẹ an... more The paper critically examines the concept of Adin-aladin (alien culture) in contemporary Akurẹ and its effects on the community. It appeals to multiculturalism and ethnocentrism to buttress its point. While it maintains that colonialism introduced to Akurẹ in the late 19 th century led to multiculturalism in the ancient city, it later resulted to ethnocentrism which has caused the people of Akurẹ to jettison their cultural practice and embrace alien culture (election) especially in the selection process of the Deji. It argues that, although it is desirable to bring in another culture to permeate in the culture of Akurẹ, but this must not be at the expense of the Akurẹ cultural heritage, especially in the processes of selecting the Deji, the Akurẹ Monarch. The paper observes that, if allowed to be part of the processes, election, as an alternative to the traditional procedure, may complicate the entire process. It concludes that the existing traditional “due process” should be followed strictly so as to allow peace and tranquillity in the ancient city.
Philosophia
The aim of the chapter is of two folds; first, it is a contribution to the existing literature on... more The aim of the chapter is of two folds; first, it is a contribution to the existing literature on destiny. Consequently, two kinds of destiny namely: ego-centric and communo-centric destinies are identified. Second, it expounds Segun Ogungbemi’s conception of the subject matter and situates this within the purview of the distinction made. With reference to social, empirical and logical evidence, it argues that Segun Ogungbemi’s conception of destiny is strictly individualistic and lacks general applicability.
This paper examines the epistemic relevance of time in Yorùbá philosophy of existentialism. It su... more This paper examines the epistemic relevance of time in Yorùbá philosophy of existentialism. It surveys briefly the western idea of time, examining three of the scholars' conception. Its findings show that the scholars all uphold similar thesis on time, that is, that time is unreal, although with different arguments. The paper equally revisits Mbiti's conception of time and shows that Mbiti's conception is not tenable for African. It examines particularly the Yorùbá notion of time. It disagrees with the westerners' thesis that time is unreal. It equally does not agree with Mbiti that Africans lack concept of future time. The paper argues that time in Yorùbá is real. It concludes that its parts are individually necessary and jointly sufficient for human existence.
Keywords: Time; existence; Mbiti; Yorùbá
The paper critically examines the concept of Àdìn-aládìn (alien culture) in contemporary Akurẹ an... more The paper critically examines the concept of Àdìn-aládìn (alien culture) in contemporary Akurẹ and its effects on the community. It appeals to multi-culturalism and ethnocentrism to buttress its point. While it maintains that colo-nialism introduced to Akurẹ in the late 19 th century led to multiculturalism in the ancient city, it later resulted to ethnocentrism which has caused the people of Akurẹ to jettison their cultural practice and embrace alien culture (election) especially in the selection process of the Deji. It argues that, although it is desirable to bring in another culture to permeate in the culture of Akurẹ, but this must not be at the expense of the Akurẹ cultural heritage, especially in the processes of selecting the Deji, the Akurẹ Monarch. The paper observes that, if allowed to be part of the processes, election, as an alternative to the traditional procedure, may complicate the entire process. It concludes that the existing traditional " due process " should be followed strictly so as to allow peace and tranquillity in the ancient city.
This paper makes case for African Philosophy. While it tries to defend it just like previous pape... more This paper makes case for African Philosophy. While it tries to defend it just like previous papers have done, it differs on the mode of defence. It, instead, shows the content that serves as ingredient, which other papers have failed to show, for African Philosophy.
It argues and concludes that the existence of African Philosophy is grounded on the existence of African art works and aesthetics, which are philosophical.
Keywords: Ontological debate; African Arts; African Philosophers
God and time are conceived to be contradicting phenomena. Apart from the fact that God is eternal... more God and time are conceived to be contradicting phenomena. Apart from the fact that God is eternal and not bound by time, he has no beginning and end as proclaimed by religious personalities. This is taken to be eternity; hence, God and eternity are compatible. This has been interpreted to mean that God has no earlier and later, but that he is always present. This paper examines eternity as it is connected to God from Boethius’ view point. It argues, employing the method of philosophical argumentation, that the idea that, although God is eternal may not be refuted, but that he has no earlier or later will not be a tenable argument. It concludes that if his activities are considered in relation with his to existence, it will be arguably correct to say that the division of time into earlier, now and later also holds for God.
Keywords: Eternity, time, God, Boethius, judgement day, atemporal duration
The paper examines, adopting the methods of conceptual clarification and argumentation, the possi... more The paper examines, adopting the methods of conceptual clarification and argumentation, the possibility of having an unresolved dispute, which at the apparent level may appear to have been resolved. It makes use of whot, an indoor game, to buttress its points. It argues that an epistemic dispute about an issue may be difficult to resolve, despite the two disputants sharing virtually everything in common within the same context. It concludes that, although the disagreement may appear to have been easily settled, epistemic disputes are not easily resolved, and as a matter of fact, it can be considered a continuous dispute.
Keywords: truth-value, intension, extension, whot, epistemic dispute
Memory has been extensively discussed in Epistemology, especially in Western scholarship. It is c... more Memory has been extensively discussed in Epistemology, especially in Western scholarship. It is considered an important phenomenon to acquisition of knowledge. However, little or nothing has been said about it in African (Yorùbá) scholarship. Hence, this paper attempts to do a philosophical exposition of the concept of memory in Yorùbá thought. It surveys the various attributive elements of memory, expounding them as important elements in discussing the concept. The paper discovers that memory is a criterion that is given recognition in Yorùbá thought. It is sometimes confused with ìrántí. It argues, using the methods of conceptual clarification and philosophical argumentation, that in as much as anybody can perform the action of rántí, and the person’s action may not be considered serious epistemic. Ìrántí is not appropriate for memory. Also, iyèenú is with flaw, that is, it is tautological; hence, it is not a better option. It concludes, therefore, that iyè is the appropriate concept for memory. It is a purely epistemic phenomenon with which knowledge processes are carried out.
Key words: Yorùbá, memory, mind, ìrántí, ọkàn, iyè
While there is abundant literature on the concept of identity from philosophers and related schol... more While there is abundant literature on the concept of identity from philosophers and related scholars in the western world, there is little or none from African (Yorùbá) scholars. This may not be unconnected with the debate on how and what to be categorized as philosophy and the methodology of philosophy. The paper attempts an exposition of the concept of identity in Yorùbá thought. This shall include an analysis of the various phenomena used to argue for identity in Yorùbá thought. The paper finds out that identity is a multi-dimensional concept and, therefore, each of phenomena associated with it is relevant and cannot be underrated. Also all of the phenomena attached with identity are interrelated.
Key words: physical identity, non-physical identity, creation myth.
Yorùbá video film industry is dominated mostly by men. This, perhaps, might not be unconnected wi... more Yorùbá video film industry is dominated mostly by men. This, perhaps, might not be unconnected with the fact that the history of Yorùbá film, which dated back to Alárìnjó popular theatre, started with, and to a large extent by, men or that women in the literary universe were relegated. Crew partitioning in Yorùbá video film production seems to be a further proof or, put in another way, a giant, but unproductive attempt at solidifying this age long (deliberate or otherwise) subjugation of women in the industry; hence, directing is the crew in focus. The paper critically assessed crew partitioning in Yorùbá video film productions in connection with female directing. It also looked, critically, the conceptions of scholars on women generally and their contributions to knowledge production. This is with the view to showing the sustainability or otherwise of female directing in the contemporary Yorùbá video film industry in relation to knowledge production. The method of conceptual clarification and rational argumentation were employed to analyze basic issues in the paper. A long time conscious attention and listening to adverts, monitoring captions, both at the beginning and end of every Yorùbá video film watched and careful attention to the jacket trying to look critically at the crew were equally employed. The paper found out that there was crew partitioning in video film productions and the Yorùbá case is not an exception. In addition, this crew partitioning is gender-sensitive. It also found out that directing, especially, has been tagged male crew activity. The paper argued and concluded that crew should not be gender sensitive; hence, directing should not be gendered, that is, it should not be male dominated crew.
Key words: Crew, Directing, Gender discrimination, Female subjugation, Yorùbá theatre.
The paper is an appraisal of Oyeronke Oyewumi’s argument that Yorùbá is non-gendered. It examines... more The paper is an appraisal of Oyeronke Oyewumi’s argument that Yorùbá is non-gendered. It examines her arguments in support of this. It finds out that Oyewumi’s claim is not evident in Yorùbá setting. At best, it can be considered to be pseudo argument. The paper concludes, using the methods of conceptual analysis and philosophical argumentation, that since the discourse about gender is a universal phenomenon, and since it cannot be done away given its inherent function, there exists no nation, race group of people without gender. Therefore, Yorùbá cannot be an exception, that is, by implication, Yorùbá is gendered.
[Keywords: gender, non-gendered, feminism, agbo-ilé, ọmọ-ìyá]
The paper attempts an analysis of African philosophy from the commencement of its ontological deb... more The paper attempts an analysis of African philosophy from the commencement of its ontological debate and focuses on its relevance in culture. The paper does not contribute to the debate, since the debate is no longer a serious issue among African philosophers and scholars. It, however, states the importance of the debate to the field of African philosophy. It explains culture as an all encompassing phenomenon and that it serves as a relevant source for the discussion on African philosophy. It uses functionalism and structuralism as theories that could be used to understand African philosophy and culture. The theories are to expatiate how the concerned can analyze African philosophy and other relevant things. The paper concludes that given the understanding of these theories African philosophy can be understood in their directions.
KEYWORDS: functionalism, structuralism, culture, ontological debate.
Filosofia Theoretica: Journal of African Philosophy, Culture and Religions, 2014
The paper attempts an analysis of African philosophy from the commencement of its ontological deb... more The paper attempts an analysis of African philosophy from the commencement of its ontological debate and focuses on its relevance in culture. The paper does not contribute to the debate, since the debate is no longer a serious issue among African philosophers and scholars. It, however, states the importance of the debate to the field of African philosophy. It explains culture as an all encompassing phenomenon and that it serves as a relevant source for the discussion on African philosophy. It uses functionalism and structuralism as theories that could be used to understand African philosophy and culture. The theories are to expatiate how the concerned can analyze African philosophy and other relevant things. The paper concludes that given the understanding of these theories African philosophy can be understood in their directions. KEYWORDS: functionalism, structuralism, culture, ontological debate.
A dominant feature in the medieval philosophy is the fact that the thoughts at that time were inf... more A dominant feature in the medieval philosophy is the fact that the thoughts at that time were influenced by church men, especially the doctrines of Christianity. For any theory to survive it had to gain the support of the church men; otherwise, such would cease to flourish. The political theories in the medieval periods were not exceptions. There was the presence of the relationship between the spiritual and the temporal powers. Given this, the political theory of Thomas Aquinas and some medieval philosophers, who came before, during his period and/or after, had the same characterizing factor.
UJAH: Unizik Journal of Arts and Humanities, 2015
This paper makes case for African Philosophy. While it tries to defend it just like previous pape... more This paper makes case for African Philosophy. While it tries to defend it just like previous papers have done, it differs on the mode of defence. It, instead, shows the content that serves as ingredient, which other papers have failed to show, for African Philosophy. It argues and concludes that the existence African Philosophy is grounded on the existence of African art works and aesthetics, which are philosophical.
S O C R a T E S, Oct 10, 2014
Soul has been conceived as an essential element of human composition. In Philosophy and other rel... more Soul has been conceived as an essential element of human composition. In Philosophy and other related discipline, its study and treatment have generated attentions and contributions from scholars in these various fields. Plato, in his own conception, affirms the reality of soul, its importance to human being and its transcendental works which he has shown in some of his dialogues. It is in line with this that Plato advances arguments for reincarnation, an aspect of the immortality of the soul. This paper, therefore, attempts a critical analysis of the arguments from alternation and recollection for the immortality of the soul in Plato’s Phaedo. It argues that Plato fails to prove beyond reasonable doubt the reality of the soul. It also mentions that its proof for reincarnation which is hinged on the reality of the soul is not tenable. The paper, therefore, concludes, using the method of philosophical argumentation, that the arguments are neither plausible nor tenable enough to establish his claim.
Yoruba video film industry is dominated mostly by men. This, perhaps, might not be unconnected wi... more Yoruba video film industry is dominated mostly by men. This, perhaps, might not be unconnected with the fact that the history of Yoruba film, which dated back to Alarinjo popular theatre, started with, and to a large extent by, men or that women in the literary universe were relegated. Crew partitioning in Yoruba video film production seems to be a further proof or, put in another way, a giant, but unproductive attempt at solidifying this age long (deliberate or otherwise) subjugation of women in the industry; hence, directing is the crew in focus. This study critically assessed crew partitioning in Yoruba video film productions in connection with female directing. It also looked, critically, the conceptions of scholars on women generally and their contributions to knowledge production. This is with the view to showing the sustainability or otherwise of female directing in the contemporary Yoruba video film industry in relation to knowledge production. The method of conceptual clari...
OMNES: The Journal of Multicultural Society, 2016
The paper critically examines the concept of Adin-aladin (alien culture) in contemporary Akurẹ an... more The paper critically examines the concept of Adin-aladin (alien culture) in contemporary Akurẹ and its effects on the community. It appeals to multiculturalism and ethnocentrism to buttress its point. While it maintains that colonialism introduced to Akurẹ in the late 19 th century led to multiculturalism in the ancient city, it later resulted to ethnocentrism which has caused the people of Akurẹ to jettison their cultural practice and embrace alien culture (election) especially in the selection process of the Deji. It argues that, although it is desirable to bring in another culture to permeate in the culture of Akurẹ, but this must not be at the expense of the Akurẹ cultural heritage, especially in the processes of selecting the Deji, the Akurẹ Monarch. The paper observes that, if allowed to be part of the processes, election, as an alternative to the traditional procedure, may complicate the entire process. It concludes that the existing traditional “due process” should be followed strictly so as to allow peace and tranquillity in the ancient city.
Philosophia
The aim of the chapter is of two folds; first, it is a contribution to the existing literature on... more The aim of the chapter is of two folds; first, it is a contribution to the existing literature on destiny. Consequently, two kinds of destiny namely: ego-centric and communo-centric destinies are identified. Second, it expounds Segun Ogungbemi’s conception of the subject matter and situates this within the purview of the distinction made. With reference to social, empirical and logical evidence, it argues that Segun Ogungbemi’s conception of destiny is strictly individualistic and lacks general applicability.
This paper examines the epistemic relevance of time in Yorùbá philosophy of existentialism. It su... more This paper examines the epistemic relevance of time in Yorùbá philosophy of existentialism. It surveys briefly the western idea of time, examining three of the scholars' conception. Its findings show that the scholars all uphold similar thesis on time, that is, that time is unreal, although with different arguments. The paper equally revisits Mbiti's conception of time and shows that Mbiti's conception is not tenable for African. It examines particularly the Yorùbá notion of time. It disagrees with the westerners' thesis that time is unreal. It equally does not agree with Mbiti that Africans lack concept of future time. The paper argues that time in Yorùbá is real. It concludes that its parts are individually necessary and jointly sufficient for human existence.
Keywords: Time; existence; Mbiti; Yorùbá
The paper critically examines the concept of Àdìn-aládìn (alien culture) in contemporary Akurẹ an... more The paper critically examines the concept of Àdìn-aládìn (alien culture) in contemporary Akurẹ and its effects on the community. It appeals to multi-culturalism and ethnocentrism to buttress its point. While it maintains that colo-nialism introduced to Akurẹ in the late 19 th century led to multiculturalism in the ancient city, it later resulted to ethnocentrism which has caused the people of Akurẹ to jettison their cultural practice and embrace alien culture (election) especially in the selection process of the Deji. It argues that, although it is desirable to bring in another culture to permeate in the culture of Akurẹ, but this must not be at the expense of the Akurẹ cultural heritage, especially in the processes of selecting the Deji, the Akurẹ Monarch. The paper observes that, if allowed to be part of the processes, election, as an alternative to the traditional procedure, may complicate the entire process. It concludes that the existing traditional " due process " should be followed strictly so as to allow peace and tranquillity in the ancient city.
This paper makes case for African Philosophy. While it tries to defend it just like previous pape... more This paper makes case for African Philosophy. While it tries to defend it just like previous papers have done, it differs on the mode of defence. It, instead, shows the content that serves as ingredient, which other papers have failed to show, for African Philosophy.
It argues and concludes that the existence of African Philosophy is grounded on the existence of African art works and aesthetics, which are philosophical.
Keywords: Ontological debate; African Arts; African Philosophers
God and time are conceived to be contradicting phenomena. Apart from the fact that God is eternal... more God and time are conceived to be contradicting phenomena. Apart from the fact that God is eternal and not bound by time, he has no beginning and end as proclaimed by religious personalities. This is taken to be eternity; hence, God and eternity are compatible. This has been interpreted to mean that God has no earlier and later, but that he is always present. This paper examines eternity as it is connected to God from Boethius’ view point. It argues, employing the method of philosophical argumentation, that the idea that, although God is eternal may not be refuted, but that he has no earlier or later will not be a tenable argument. It concludes that if his activities are considered in relation with his to existence, it will be arguably correct to say that the division of time into earlier, now and later also holds for God.
Keywords: Eternity, time, God, Boethius, judgement day, atemporal duration
The paper examines, adopting the methods of conceptual clarification and argumentation, the possi... more The paper examines, adopting the methods of conceptual clarification and argumentation, the possibility of having an unresolved dispute, which at the apparent level may appear to have been resolved. It makes use of whot, an indoor game, to buttress its points. It argues that an epistemic dispute about an issue may be difficult to resolve, despite the two disputants sharing virtually everything in common within the same context. It concludes that, although the disagreement may appear to have been easily settled, epistemic disputes are not easily resolved, and as a matter of fact, it can be considered a continuous dispute.
Keywords: truth-value, intension, extension, whot, epistemic dispute
Memory has been extensively discussed in Epistemology, especially in Western scholarship. It is c... more Memory has been extensively discussed in Epistemology, especially in Western scholarship. It is considered an important phenomenon to acquisition of knowledge. However, little or nothing has been said about it in African (Yorùbá) scholarship. Hence, this paper attempts to do a philosophical exposition of the concept of memory in Yorùbá thought. It surveys the various attributive elements of memory, expounding them as important elements in discussing the concept. The paper discovers that memory is a criterion that is given recognition in Yorùbá thought. It is sometimes confused with ìrántí. It argues, using the methods of conceptual clarification and philosophical argumentation, that in as much as anybody can perform the action of rántí, and the person’s action may not be considered serious epistemic. Ìrántí is not appropriate for memory. Also, iyèenú is with flaw, that is, it is tautological; hence, it is not a better option. It concludes, therefore, that iyè is the appropriate concept for memory. It is a purely epistemic phenomenon with which knowledge processes are carried out.
Key words: Yorùbá, memory, mind, ìrántí, ọkàn, iyè
While there is abundant literature on the concept of identity from philosophers and related schol... more While there is abundant literature on the concept of identity from philosophers and related scholars in the western world, there is little or none from African (Yorùbá) scholars. This may not be unconnected with the debate on how and what to be categorized as philosophy and the methodology of philosophy. The paper attempts an exposition of the concept of identity in Yorùbá thought. This shall include an analysis of the various phenomena used to argue for identity in Yorùbá thought. The paper finds out that identity is a multi-dimensional concept and, therefore, each of phenomena associated with it is relevant and cannot be underrated. Also all of the phenomena attached with identity are interrelated.
Key words: physical identity, non-physical identity, creation myth.
Yorùbá video film industry is dominated mostly by men. This, perhaps, might not be unconnected wi... more Yorùbá video film industry is dominated mostly by men. This, perhaps, might not be unconnected with the fact that the history of Yorùbá film, which dated back to Alárìnjó popular theatre, started with, and to a large extent by, men or that women in the literary universe were relegated. Crew partitioning in Yorùbá video film production seems to be a further proof or, put in another way, a giant, but unproductive attempt at solidifying this age long (deliberate or otherwise) subjugation of women in the industry; hence, directing is the crew in focus. The paper critically assessed crew partitioning in Yorùbá video film productions in connection with female directing. It also looked, critically, the conceptions of scholars on women generally and their contributions to knowledge production. This is with the view to showing the sustainability or otherwise of female directing in the contemporary Yorùbá video film industry in relation to knowledge production. The method of conceptual clarification and rational argumentation were employed to analyze basic issues in the paper. A long time conscious attention and listening to adverts, monitoring captions, both at the beginning and end of every Yorùbá video film watched and careful attention to the jacket trying to look critically at the crew were equally employed. The paper found out that there was crew partitioning in video film productions and the Yorùbá case is not an exception. In addition, this crew partitioning is gender-sensitive. It also found out that directing, especially, has been tagged male crew activity. The paper argued and concluded that crew should not be gender sensitive; hence, directing should not be gendered, that is, it should not be male dominated crew.
Key words: Crew, Directing, Gender discrimination, Female subjugation, Yorùbá theatre.
The paper is an appraisal of Oyeronke Oyewumi’s argument that Yorùbá is non-gendered. It examines... more The paper is an appraisal of Oyeronke Oyewumi’s argument that Yorùbá is non-gendered. It examines her arguments in support of this. It finds out that Oyewumi’s claim is not evident in Yorùbá setting. At best, it can be considered to be pseudo argument. The paper concludes, using the methods of conceptual analysis and philosophical argumentation, that since the discourse about gender is a universal phenomenon, and since it cannot be done away given its inherent function, there exists no nation, race group of people without gender. Therefore, Yorùbá cannot be an exception, that is, by implication, Yorùbá is gendered.
[Keywords: gender, non-gendered, feminism, agbo-ilé, ọmọ-ìyá]
The paper attempts an analysis of African philosophy from the commencement of its ontological deb... more The paper attempts an analysis of African philosophy from the commencement of its ontological debate and focuses on its relevance in culture. The paper does not contribute to the debate, since the debate is no longer a serious issue among African philosophers and scholars. It, however, states the importance of the debate to the field of African philosophy. It explains culture as an all encompassing phenomenon and that it serves as a relevant source for the discussion on African philosophy. It uses functionalism and structuralism as theories that could be used to understand African philosophy and culture. The theories are to expatiate how the concerned can analyze African philosophy and other relevant things. The paper concludes that given the understanding of these theories African philosophy can be understood in their directions.
KEYWORDS: functionalism, structuralism, culture, ontological debate.