Abstract

In this dissertation I have provided an analytic description of the Yoruba conceptions of human nature. My work is the first study which deals with the Yoruba theory of human nature in its entirety. ;I have shown that Olorun and his agents who are generically called Orisa in Yoruba provide an explanation of the origin of man, emphasizing, however, that the Yoruba attribute human existence to God alone and that the roles of his agents are means of explaining human disabilities. I have also argued that even though the Yoruba attribute human creation to God, they nevertheless believe that man is created for himself and not to worship God and his agents for the sake of the worship itself. ;The Yoruba believe in the dualistic nature of man. That is, man has material and spiritual substances and it is the latter that controls the activities of the former. I have argued that the Yoruba do not believe that man has multiple souls. Rather, man's soul in Yoruba thought performs various functions. ;I have argued that the Yoruba do not only emphasize the social nature of man but also his individuality. I have also pointed out that man in Yoruba thought has a close relation with nature; however, man does not dominate nature. ;I have shown that the Yoruba believe that death is a reality but it is a means of bringing "home" the aged persons. In Yoruba thought there is a strong belief in the hereafter, and the notion of the hereafter serves to explain that life is a perpetual continuum. ;The conclusion sets out some of the inherent problems in the Yoruba philosophy of man and indicates some areas where further research is needed