Ibi: An Examination of the Yoruba Traditional- Existentialist Conception of Evil (original) (raw)
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There is relatively little or no known cross-cultural critical comparison of perspectives on the concept and problem of evil in metaphysics literatures in African cultural philosophies. This article aims to attempt such theoretical exercise within the contexts of the Yoruba and Igbo metaphysical thoughts on the concept and existence of evil. This paper establishes that the meaning of the problem of evil as widely known in Western philosophy is not different from what obtains in Yoruba and Igbo thoughts. However, such lack of contrasting conceptual polemics does not translate in an absence of substantive differences in the metaphysical viewpoints on the actual existence of evil in Yoruba and Igbo cultural philosophies. Unlike in the Western philosophical tradition where the logical problem of evil is perennial, in both Yoruba and Igbo ontologies, such a logical problem of evil does not exist. The findings of the paper further show that while Yoruba ontology simply exonerates God from...
A Critique of Traditional Igbo and Yoruba Moral Perspectives on Evil
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Evil and its moral consequences are problematic as far as human societies are concerned, whether primitive or civilised. As humans experience or cope with the reality of evil in its various forms in daily existence, every cultural group finds ways of explaining and contending with it in its world view. Perspectives on the existence of evil are as real in Africa as they are in other parts of the world. Going by this, Africans have reflected on questions concerning what is evil culturally and religiously, both which cannot be detached from moral viewpoints on evil. Despite the influences of foreign cultures as Christianity and Islam, certain primordial convictions endured in Igbo and Yoruba cultures. As its objective, this article explores the moral issues arising from their traditional cultural perspective on evil, especially as relating to the existence of evil and moral responsibility. To achieve this objective, the article is woven around the following research questions: What are the distinctive Igbo and Yoruba traditional perceptions of evil in their world views? How do these affect considerations of moral responsibility? Methodologically, the paper applies philosophical argumentation and analysis in interrogation of the issues involved in its objectives.
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Deep reflection on the existence of man should normally raise the question of its meaning. It is a question that is relevant and appropriate for philosophical investigation since it touches on the very being of man. It is furthermore a question in which the subject and object are one. If we agree that wherever there is human existence, there is thinking and reflection on fundamental issues, and that wherever there is such reflection there is the highest possibility of raising the question of the ultimate meaning of human existence, then it should follow that all human cultures and thought systems must have consciously or unconsciously given thought to the question. It is with this assumption that I propose to examine the issue from the perspective of the Yoruba. An examination of the meaning of human existence presupposes an affirmative answer to a prior question 'Does human existence have any meaning?' This question raise a fundamental issue. It is not a requirement for a linguistic analysis of the term 'human existence.' Rather it requires an investigation into the purpose and relevance of human existence. It demands an answer to the question whether the existence of man has any purpose in or relevance to the totality of the uni verse,on whether man is just 'a speck of life floating aimlessly through the immeasurable vastness of the universe.' If the latter, then it should be obvious that looking for the meaning of man's existence will be pointless and a sheer waste of time. From the Yoruba perspective, however, one must reject this negative response in favour of the positive one that human existence has meaning. The relevant question, then, is what is this meaning and where does the search for it terminate? This paper addresses this question by focusing on the Yoruba conceptions of man and the universe. I argue that underlying the notions of destiny, personality and God which feature prominently in this world view is a moral perspective according to which the ultimate meaning of human existence is to be found in the promotion of the good, concretised in usefulness to self, community and the species.
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