The Mind-Body-Problem from the perspective of the Yoruba (african) Concept of a Person

Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)

• DUALIST THEORIES OF A PERSON AND THE NATURE OF THE MIND-BODY PROBLEM..
• 1.0 INTRODUCTION
• 1. 1. BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY.
• 1.2. DUALISM AND THE MIND-BODY PROBLEM
• 1.3. DUALIST THEORIES OF A PERSON.
• 1. 3. 1. CARTESIAN DUALISM.
• 1. 3. 2. OCCASSIONALISM AND PSYCHO-PHYSICAL PARALLELISM.
• 1. 4. SOME MONIST RESPONSES TO MIND-BODY DUALISM.
• 1. 4. 1. THE IDEALIST RESPONSE.
• 1. 4. 2. THE MATERIALIST RESPONSE.
• 1.5. NON-COMMITTAL RESPONSES..
• AN OUTLINE OF THE YORUBA CONCEPT OF A PERSON.
• 2.0. INTRODUCTION: .
• 2. 1. THE YORUBA CONCEPTION OF REALITY.
• 2.2. THE YORUBA COSMOGONY
• 2. 3. YORUBA COSMOLOGY
• 2. 4.THE IFA LITERARY CORPUS AND RELATED DOCUMENTED UNDOCUMENTED ORAL SOURCES ON THE YORUBA ONTOLOGY OF A PERSON.
• 2. 5. MATERIAL ASPECTS OF THE YORUBA ONTOLOGY OF A PERSON.
• 2. 5. 1. NON-MATERIAL ASPECTS OF THE YORUBA ONTOLOGY OF A PERSON..
• 2. 6. CRITICAL INTERPRETATION..
• THE MIND-BODY PROBLEM AND THE YORUBACONCEPT OF A PERSON.
• 3.0. INTRODUCTION
• 3. 1. DISTINCTION BETWEEN SUBSTANCE THEORIES OF MIND AND NON-SUBSTANCE THEORIES OF MIND..
• 3.2. YORUBA ACCOUNT OF MENTAL PHENOMENA
• 3. 3.THE MIND-BODY PROBLEM IN RELATION TO THE YORUBA CONCEPT OF A PERSON...........
• 3. 3. 1 THE IDEA OF A 'CATEGORY MISTAKE' AND THE YORUBA ACCOUNT OF THE MENTAL
• 3. 3. 2. LOGICAL BEHAVIORISM AND THE YORUBA ACCOUNT OF MENTAL PHENOMENA
• A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF CONTEMPORARY SCIENTIFIC AND YORUBA CONCEPTS OF A PERSON WITH REFERENCE TO THE MIND-BODY PROBLEM.
• 4.0. INTRODUCTION
• 4. 1. FORMULATIONS OF MATERIALISM
• 4. 1. 1. Dialectical Materialism.
• 4. 1. 2. Reductive Materialism
• 4.2 REDUCTIVE MATERIALISM AND THE SCIENTIFIC CONCEPT OF A PERSON
• 4. 2. 2.SMART AND ARMSTRONG ON THE MIND-BRAIN IDENTITY THEORY..
• 4. 2. 3. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, NEURO-SCIENCE AND THE MIND-BODY PROBLEM.
• 4. 3. A COMPARISON OF THE YORUBA AND CONTEMPORARY SCIENTIFIC CONCEPTS OF A PERSON WITH REFERENCE TO THE MIND-BODY PROBLEM
• 4. 3. 1. SOME POINTS OF SIMILARITIES..
• 4. 3. 2. DISSIMILARITIES: DISTINCTION BETWEEN THE DESCRIPTIVE AND NORMATIVE ACCOUNT OF CAUSATION.
• A PHILOSOPHICAL APPRAISAL OF THE YORUBA..
• 5.0. INTRODUCTION
• 5. 1. YORUBA CONCEPT OF A PERSON: FURTHER CRITICAL INTERPRETATION.
• 5.2. THE YORUBA MULTIPLE-ASPECT CONCEPT OF A PERSON
• 5. 2. 1. A YORUBA INTERPRETATION OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE MENTAL AND OTHER ASPECTS OF A PERSON
• 5. 3. AN OUTLINE OF THE SOCIAL (OR NORMATIVE) DIMENSION TO THE YORUBA CONCEPT OF A PERSON.
• 5. 4. ORÍ AND ÈNÌYÀN (PERSON) IN THE YORUBA SOCIETY.
• 5. 4. 1. A SOCIAL INTERPRETATION OF ORÍ.
• 5. 5. IMPLICATIONS FOR SOCIAL EXISTENCE
• 5. 6. CONCLUDING REMARKS

Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)

The primary objective of this thesis is to critically examine the Mind-body problem from the perspective of the Yoruba (African) Concept of a Person. To accomplish this, the research explores various aspects, including outlining the traditional understanding of the mind-body problem, presenting a comprehensive analysis of the Yoruba concept of a person, and demonstrating how this concept can address the mind-body problem. Furthermore, the research compares the Yoruba approach to defining a person with contemporary Western scientific perspectives. Finally, it offers a philosophical appraisal of the Yoruba concept of a person and its implications for social existence.

• Dualism and the Mind-Body Problem
• The Yoruba Concept of a Person
• The Yoruba Perspective on the Mind-Body Problem
• Comparison of Yoruba and Western Scientific Concepts of a Person
• Philosophical Appraisal of the Yoruba Concept of a Person

Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)

The first chapter delves into the traditional understanding of the mind-body problem, exploring various dualist theories of a person, including Cartesian Dualism and Occasionalism. It also examines monist responses to dualism, such as Idealism and Materialism, along with non-committal approaches. Chapter two provides a detailed outline of the Yoruba concept of a person, focusing on their conception of reality, cosmogony, and cosmology. It examines the Yoruba ontology of a person, exploring both material and non-material aspects, and provides a critical interpretation of these concepts. Chapter three analyzes the mind-body problem in relation to the Yoruba concept of a person. It explores the distinction between substance and non-substance theories of mind and examines how the Yoruba account of mental phenomena can contribute to resolving the mind-body problem. The chapter also investigates the implications of the Yoruba concept of a person for understanding the mental and its relationship to other aspects of a person. Chapter four delves into a comparative analysis of contemporary scientific and Yoruba concepts of a person, examining various formulations of Materialism, including Dialectical and Reductive Materialism, and its implications for the scientific understanding of a person. It further explores the Mind-Brain Identity Theory and the role of Artificial Intelligence and Neuroscience in addressing the mind-body problem. This chapter concludes with a comparative study of the similarities and differences between the Yoruba and scientific perspectives on the nature of a person. Finally, chapter five provides a philosophical appraisal of the Yoruba concept of a person. It examines the concept's implications for social existence and explores the social dimensions of the Yoruba concept of a person, specifically focusing on the role of "Orí" and its relationship to the concept of a person. The chapter delves into the implications of these concepts for social existence and concludes with a critical assessment of the Yoruba concept of a person.

Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)

The key themes and concepts explored in this research include dualism, mind-body problem, Yoruba concept of a person, ontology, cosmogony, cosmology, mental phenomena, materialism, scientific concept of a person, artificial intelligence, neuroscience, social existence, and Orí.