Igbo Metaphysics

ABSTRACT It is an abridged form of Towards an Igbo Metaphysics in which Fr. Edeh used Igbo Metaphysics to articulate African philosophy. In this work, the concept of being is derived from the Igbo concept of man which is "Mmadi", the good that is. The goodness of being is derived from the fact of creation that means coming from the Supreme good "Chineke". Man is created by God as Chineke and continuously cared for by God as Osebuluwa. With this fact, man is dignified, deserves to be cared for and respected by fellow human beings, the good that are. The special characteristic of African Philosophy is that it is identified with thought and action (EPITAISM). For the fact that African Philosophy sees man as dignified, deserving respect, that makes African Philosophy different from the philosophy that sees man as wolf to man. If this African philosophy is widely accepted, it will certainly lead to the solving the problem of world peace.

This book is about an African philosophical examination of the death penalty debate. In a 21st century world where the notion of human right is primed, this book considers the question of the death penalty in two sub-Saharan African countries namely, Zimbabwe and Nigeria, notorious for their poor human right records. This edited collection comprises of 11 essays from Zimbabwean and Nigerian philosophers. As opinions continue to divide over the retention or abolition of the death penalty, these African philosophers attempt to localise this debate by raising the following questions: What is the meaning of life in the African place? Is it proper to take the human life under any guise at all? Who has the right to take the human life? Can the death penalty be jutified on the bases of African cultures? Why should it be abolished? Why should it be retained? Indeed, this book is the first of its kind to engage the tumultuous issue of capital punishment in the postcolonial Africa and from the African philosophical point of view.

For several decades, African philosophers have debated on the history, nature, and methodology of African philosophy, among others; however, this piece takes a different turn. It reflects on the disciplines of African philosophy. It is a work of twelve chapters and focuses on the major disciplines of African philosophy. This piece is a response to the recurrent question in the class of African philosophy: What are the disciplines of African Philosophy?

The work has the capacity to stimulate interest for further critical reflection in the area of African Traditional Religion and philosophy. I, therefore, very strongly recommend it for all who treasure good African literature; and most especially for anyone who wishes to be abreast with important debates and developments in African Traditional Religion and philosophy. Experts, researchers, beginners and casual readers are bound to treasure the usefulness of this interesting book.

This book presents an innovative African philosophical response to coloniality and the attendant epistemicide of Africa’s knowledge systems, drawing on Igbo thinking. This book argues that theorizing modernity requires a critical conversation between African and Western scholarship, in order to unpack its links with coloniality and the subjugation of Africa’s indigenous knowledges. In setting out this discussion, the book also connects with Latin American scholarship, demonstrating how the modern world is structured to marginalize and destroy knowledges from across the Global South. This book draws on Igbo epistemic resources of solidarity thinking, positioned in contrast to capitalist knowledge-patterns, thereby providing an important Africa-driven response to modernity and coloniality. This book concludes by arguing that the Igbo sense of solidarity is useful and relevant to modern contexts and thus constitutes a vital resource for a less disruptive, more balanced, and more wholesome modernity. At a time of considerable global crises, this book makes an important contribution to philosophy both within Africa and beyond.

The need for renegotiation of the place and role of women in the family, the Church, and the society cannot be any more urgent than now, especially as people are more aware of the devastating effects of the evils of inequality, discrimination, and oppression. It is a pity that the excellent qualities of bravery, industry, resilience, and perseverance historically attributed to African women, with which they negotiated for better place in the family, the Church, and the society, have been manipulated to serve as instruments for their denigration. The problem is that the patriarchal articulations of gender relations from the western world that entered Africa through colonialism, Christianity, western education and globalization allied themselves with the macho elements in African culture, and institutionalized the oppression of women; a move that women have always resisted both overtly and covertly. But how long could they hang on? This book provides exceptional and critical assessment of these issues, especially from the perspective of the Igbo society of Nigeria. Apart from assessing the strengths and weaknesses of the efforts made by women themselves to surmount these challenges, it also explores how the autochthonous values of the traditional culture could integrate with Christian values to enthrone gender equality in the society. Fr Muonwe demonstrated in this present publication his pastoral zeal for justice especially on the predicaments of women in African nay Igbo society. He regrets as it were that the African (Igbo) traditional society is still far from realizing the Christian gospel ideal of dignity and equality of human person because of the obvious environment that is strictly androcentric and carefully crafted in patriarchal hegemony I thank Fr Muonwe for this timely publication especially for many Igbo Christian communities today experiencing crisis in several aspects of our culture I hope the Bishops, the Priests, the Religious and Laity will find in this present work a rare and indispensable treasure for solutions to our pastoral predicaments. Rev. Fr. Prof. Anthony B. C. Chiegboka. New Dawn for African Women is encyclopaedic in content and daunting in its wealth of documentation [It] is a well-written book. The contents covered much more than Igbo women, or gender issues. It addressed such other issues as Igbo cosmology, Igbo concept of life and death, the history of Christianity in Igboland and Igbo social anthropology, among others. It is a book, which every Nigerian, especially the Igbo, should read. The book is inspirational and provocative in the extreme; it is original and displays learning lightly carried. One cannot but return to it over and over again after the first reading. I very strongly recommend it to the Nigerian and African reading public. C. Ego Uzoezie (Ph.D.)

Summa Philosophica is a comprehensive, succinct and afro-affirmative introduction to philosophy and logic, motivated by the spirit of ensophisation (impartation of wisdom).

That Africa is at a crossroads in an increasingly globalised world is indisputable. Equally unassailable is the fact that the humanities, as a broad field of intellection, research and learning in Africa, appears to have been pigeonholed in debates of relevance in the development aspirations of many African nations. Historical experiences and contemporary research outputs indicate, however, that the humanities, in its various shades, is critical to Africa’s capacity to respond effectively to such problems as security, corruption, political ineptitude, poverty, superstition, and HIV/AIDS, among many other mounting challenges which confront the people of Africa. The vibrancy and resilience of Africa’s cultures, against these and other odds of globalisation episodes in the course of our history, demand the focused attention of academia to exploit their relevance to contemporary issues. This collection provides a comprehensive overview of issues in the humanities at the turn of the 21st century, which create a veritable platform for the global redefinition and understanding of Africa’s rich cultures and traditions. Such areas covered include ruminations in metaphysics and psychology, pathos and ethos, cinematic and literary connections, and historical conceptualisations.