This thesis is a critical study of the traditional mind-body problem from the perspective of the Yoruba (African) concept of a person. The thesis attempted to see a plausible Yoruba response to the mind-body problem vis-à-vis the problem of defining a person. The methods of inquiry are those of critical exposition, conceptual clarification and analytical evaluation. The research involved consultation and analysis of existing inter-disciplinary literature on the Philosophy of Mind; a critical study of relevant published Ifa Literary Corpus; and discussion sessions with practitioners of Ifá and other genres of Yoruba folktales, as well as Yoruba-speaking individuals on their ideas of the Yoruba concept of a person.
The specific objectives are to critically outline the nature of the mind-body problem, analytically present what may be regarded as a plausible account of the Yoruba concept of a person, see whether the mind-body problem arises for the Yoruba concept of a person, do a comparative study of contemporary scientific concepts of a person and the Yoruba concept of a person and finally, to do a philosophical appraisal of the Yoruba concept of a person vis-à-vis its response to the mind-body problem, and the implication of that concept of a person for social existence.
The thesis uncovered what may be identified as the Yoruba Multiple-aspect concept of a person, in the light of which the mind-body problem does not arise when, rather than viewed as a separate entity the mind is viewed as a state or ability of the body. The research concluded, in the light of what it outlines as the Yoruba Multiple-aspect concept of a person, that the socio-ethical problems and the destructive and negative uses to which the fruits of the advancements of the physical sciences have been put are the unfortunate consequences of man’s rather unfortunate attempt to define himself in the simplest and most parsimonious terms.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- DUALIST THEORIES OF A PERSON AND THE NATURE OF THE MIND-BODY PROBLEM..
- 1.0 INTRODUCTION
- 1. 1. BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY.
- 1.2. DUALISM AND THE MIND-BODY PROBLEM
- 1.3. DUALIST THEORIES OF A PERSON.
- 1. 3. 1. CARTESIAN DUALISM.
- 1. 3. 2. OCCASSIONALISM AND PSYCHO-PHYSICAL PARALLELISM.
- 1. 4. SOME MONIST RESPONSES TO MIND-BODY DUALISM.
- 1. 4. 1. THE IDEALIST RESPONSE.
- 1. 4. 2. THE MATERIALIST RESPONSE.
- 1.5. NON-COMMITTAL RESPONSES..
- AN OUTLINE OF THE YORUBA CONCEPT OF A PERSON.
- 2.0. INTRODUCTION: .
- 2. 1. THE YORUBA CONCEPTION OF REALITY.
- 2.2. THE YORUBA COSMOGONY
- 2. 3. YORUBA COSMOLOGY
- 2. 4.THE IFA LITERARY CORPUS AND RELATED DOCUMENTED UNDOCUMENTED ORAL SOURCES ON THE YORUBA ONTOLOGY OF A PERSON.
- 2. 5. MATERIAL ASPECTS OF THE YORUBA ONTOLOGY OF A PERSON.
- 2. 5. 1. NON-MATERIAL ASPECTS OF THE YORUBA ONTOLOGY OF A PERSON..
- 2. 6. CRITICAL INTERPRETATION..
- THE MIND-BODY PROBLEM AND THE YORUBACONCEPT OF A PERSON.
- 3.0. INTRODUCTION
- 3. 1. DISTINCTION BETWEEN SUBSTANCE THEORIES OF MIND AND NON-SUBSTANCE THEORIES OF MIND..
- 3.2. YORUBA ACCOUNT OF MENTAL PHENOMENA
- 3. 3.THE MIND-BODY PROBLEM IN RELATION TO THE YORUBA CONCEPT OF A PERSON...........
- 3. 3. 1 THE IDEA OF A 'CATEGORY MISTAKE' AND THE YORUBA ACCOUNT OF THE MENTAL
- 3. 3. 2. LOGICAL BEHAVIORISM AND THE YORUBA ACCOUNT OF MENTAL PHENOMENA
- A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF CONTEMPORARY SCIENTIFIC AND YORUBA CONCEPTS OF A PERSON WITH REFERENCE TO THE MIND-BODY PROBLEM.
- 4.0. INTRODUCTION
- 4. 1. FORMULATIONS OF MATERIALISM
- 4. 1. 1. Dialectical Materialism.
- 4. 1. 2. Reductive Materialism
- 4.2 REDUCTIVE MATERIALISM AND THE SCIENTIFIC CONCEPT OF A PERSON
- 4. 2. 2.SMART AND ARMSTRONG ON THE MIND-BRAIN IDENTITY THEORY..
- 4. 2. 3. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, NEURO-SCIENCE AND THE MIND-BODY PROBLEM.
- 4. 3. A COMPARISON OF THE YORUBA AND CONTEMPORARY SCIENTIFIC CONCEPTS OF A PERSON WITH REFERENCE TO THE MIND-BODY PROBLEM
- 4. 3. 1. SOME POINTS OF SIMILARITIES..
- 4. 3. 2. DISSIMILARITIES: DISTINCTION BETWEEN THE DESCRIPTIVE AND NORMATIVE ACCOUNT OF CAUSATION.
- A PHILOSOPHICAL APPRAISAL OF THE YORUBA..
- 5.0. INTRODUCTION
- 5. 1. YORUBA CONCEPT OF A PERSON: FURTHER CRITICAL INTERPRETATION.
- 5.2. THE YORUBA MULTIPLE-ASPECT CONCEPT OF A PERSON
- 5. 2. 1. A YORUBA INTERPRETATION OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE MENTAL AND OTHER ASPECTS OF A PERSON
- 5. 3. AN OUTLINE OF THE SOCIAL (OR NORMATIVE) DIMENSION TO THE YORUBA CONCEPT OF A PERSON.
- 5. 4. ORÍ AND ÈNÌYÀN (PERSON) IN THE YORUBA SOCIETY.
- 5. 4. 1. A SOCIAL INTERPRETATION OF ORÍ.
- 5. 5. IMPLICATIONS FOR SOCIAL EXISTENCE
- 5. 6. CONCLUDING REMARKS
- Dualism and the Mind-Body Problem
- The Yoruba Concept of a Person
- The Yoruba Perspective on the Mind-Body Problem
- Comparison of Yoruba and Western Scientific Concepts of a Person
- Philosophical Appraisal of the Yoruba Concept of a Person
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
The primary objective of this thesis is to critically examine the Mind-body problem from the perspective of the Yoruba (African) Concept of a Person. To accomplish this, the research explores various aspects, including outlining the traditional understanding of the mind-body problem, presenting a comprehensive analysis of the Yoruba concept of a person, and demonstrating how this concept can address the mind-body problem. Furthermore, the research compares the Yoruba approach to defining a person with contemporary Western scientific perspectives. Finally, it offers a philosophical appraisal of the Yoruba concept of a person and its implications for social existence.
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
The first chapter delves into the traditional understanding of the mind-body problem, exploring various dualist theories of a person, including Cartesian Dualism and Occasionalism. It also examines monist responses to dualism, such as Idealism and Materialism, along with non-committal approaches. Chapter two provides a detailed outline of the Yoruba concept of a person, focusing on their conception of reality, cosmogony, and cosmology. It examines the Yoruba ontology of a person, exploring both material and non-material aspects, and provides a critical interpretation of these concepts. Chapter three analyzes the mind-body problem in relation to the Yoruba concept of a person. It explores the distinction between substance and non-substance theories of mind and examines how the Yoruba account of mental phenomena can contribute to resolving the mind-body problem. The chapter also investigates the implications of the Yoruba concept of a person for understanding the mental and its relationship to other aspects of a person. Chapter four delves into a comparative analysis of contemporary scientific and Yoruba concepts of a person, examining various formulations of Materialism, including Dialectical and Reductive Materialism, and its implications for the scientific understanding of a person. It further explores the Mind-Brain Identity Theory and the role of Artificial Intelligence and Neuroscience in addressing the mind-body problem. This chapter concludes with a comparative study of the similarities and differences between the Yoruba and scientific perspectives on the nature of a person. Finally, chapter five provides a philosophical appraisal of the Yoruba concept of a person. It examines the concept's implications for social existence and explores the social dimensions of the Yoruba concept of a person, specifically focusing on the role of "Orí" and its relationship to the concept of a person. The chapter delves into the implications of these concepts for social existence and concludes with a critical assessment of the Yoruba concept of a person.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
The key themes and concepts explored in this research include dualism, mind-body problem, Yoruba concept of a person, ontology, cosmogony, cosmology, mental phenomena, materialism, scientific concept of a person, artificial intelligence, neuroscience, social existence, and Orí.
- Quote paper
- Amodu Akeem (Author), 2003, The Mind-Body-Problem from the perspective of the Yoruba (african) Concept of a Person, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/382488
