Yoruba Idea of the Good Life in Ifa Literary Corpus: A Critical Analysis

Abstract

Yorùbá ethics is predicated on the logic of Yorùbá metaphysics or ontology, which reflects the deity-mortal relationship that rules the lives of the Yorùbá. This also accentuates the fact that Yorùbá ethical systems congeal into the practical application of aspects of reality to the field of human conduct. This paper draws largely on Ifá, both as a complete Yorùbá philosophy and a primordial moral theorist, and questions the spurious impression that religion is the foundation of morality. The paper goes on to demonstrate how Ifá oral text amplifies the wider consequences of certain ethical teachings in order to secure a viable social order.