The Problem of Being in Metaphysics

Abstract

What is being? This was and still is one of the fundamental questions within the area of metaphysics. The researcher in this piece studies the dynamics of the problem of being in metaphysics. A historical approach is adopted to this study. The researcher goes through the Ancient, Medieval, Modern and Contemporary Periods to understand the development of the concept of being. The researcher also explores the understanding of the concept of being by African thinkers. In this regard, Emmanuel Edeh‟s development of Igbo concept of being, Pantaleon‟s philosophy of belongingness as being, based on Igbo ontology, and the use of Chi to designate the notion of being in Igbo metaphysics by some African philosophers is also explored. Not minding the developments of the concept of being by various philosophers, the researcher discovers that the original concept of being as that which exists is retained.

Keywords: Being, Metaphysics, problem, African, philosophy