SOURCE:

Faculty: Arts
Department: Department Of Philosophy

CONTRIBUTORS:

Alike, M. N;
DUKOR, M;

ABSTRACT:

Man has always been curious about the causes of nature and existence of things. This made him to wonder why these things around him exist. This curiosity or wonder gave credence to the way man acquires knowledge both physically and spiritually. Attempts to know the answers to all these causes are seen in both epistemology and metaphysics. The theme of this work is metaphysics which is the study of being as being. It studies abstract entities like God, immortality of soul, causality, freedom, problem of one and many, relationship between mind and body etc. This thesis has as its main objectives of pointing out the role or relevance of metaphysics in contemporary philosophical studies. The contrast between rationalism and science raised for Kant the question whether metaphysics can increase our knowledge the way science obviously can. From analytical a priori and synthetical a posteriori propositions, Kant came out with a priori synthetic judgements which can be seen in mathematics, natural science and metaphysics. Kant therefore found out that metaphysical speculation involves the logical fallacy of paralogism, unavoidable antinomies and transcendental illusion. With this Kant enforced a limitation on human reason in the form of antinomies which human reason can neither comprehend nor reject. However, Igbo African metaphysics have been doubted not to be in existence. It has been regarded as mythological/anthropological stories and therefore incapable of being an authentic philosophy. In Igbo African philosophy, metaphysical theories have been propounded which gave credence to the existence and authenticity of Igbo African metaphysics. What is reality? Is Igbo world characterized by force? Are soul and body one inseparable entity? What are categories? When all these questions are answered in Igbo metaphysics, we will know whether Igbo metaphysics really exists or not. Therefore, the aim of this dissertation is to show that the road to transcendental or metaphysical knowledge which Kant claimed to be impossible is possible in Igbo metaphysics. This is done by comparing the solid foundations of Igbo metaphysics with salient postulations of metaphysics in Kant’s critical philosophy. This work used comparative and critical analysis to show Kant’s opinion in rejecting metaphysics and African philosophy’s affirmation of it. The legitimate basis for this research is founded on the need to push back the horizon of knowledge in both Igbo African philosophy and Kantian epistemology. Secondly the vistas of African philosophy need to be explored as a substantive philosophy with the objective of discovering its common ground with other philosophies.