The concept of human person in African ontology: a critical reflection on the Igbo notion of man

Abstract

This paper is a critical reflection on the concept of human person in African ontology. The topic is situated within the context of the Igbo traditional society of the south eastern Nigeria. In this society, man (a generic term for human beings) is seen as a being who is simultaneously material and immaterial, whose personhood should be adequately understood in terms of his moral and metaphysical composition. The objective of this study is to revive the primordial conception of the human person among the Igbos with a new appreciation of his/her dignity and inherent value in the modern mind. The main thesis of this paper is that the set of values ascribed to human beings in the Igbo traditional society are universalizable. It recommended the adoption of some relevant aspects of this African experience as a panacea to the rising desecration of the sanctity of human life across the globe.

Keywords: ontology, human person, values, dignity, sanctity