Scholarly Works
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://repository.ui.edu.ng/handle/123456789/323
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Item A re-evaluation of the theme of fate in Sophocles' Oedipus Rex and Ola Rotimi's the Gods are not to blame(Faculty of Arts, University of Ibadan, 2020) Adebowale, B. A.Intertextuality presupposes the linkage of subjects, ideas and themes between and among texts. Although numerous scholars have carried out intertextual readings into various texts, only a few have delved principally into cosmological connectives within texts from the cultural perspective of fatalism. The universality of the theme of fatalism and its rootedness in virtually every religion around the world necessitates this work. This study, therefore, investigates the textual hybridisation and thematisation of apparently contrasting worldviews (Greek and Yoruba) in order to improve the body of existing intertextual literature on fatalism. This study is anchored on the philosophical concept of determinism. Two texts were purposively selected- Sophocles' Oedipus Rex (OR), a classical play, and Ola Rotimi's The Gods are not to Blame (TGB), a contemporary play, for contextual and intertextual study. The study finds that TGB shares more than superficial semblance with OR though textual variations exist between both. TGB is considered a perfect hybrid that thematically draws parallels from OR, foregrounding the integral and unique religio-cultural affinity that exists between the Yoruba people of Western Nigeria and the Greek of the Classical era. Fatalism, being a fundamental aspect of the ancient Greek cosmology, was often thematised in Classical Greek writings as reflected in the text, OR. The study then concludes that the Yoruba people, like the ancient Greek, acknowledge the important role of fate as determinism in human life and as a reality beyond the control of the individualItem Perception of mental illness in ancient Greek and contemporary Yoruba religious beliefs(Faculty of Arts, University of Ibadan, 2018-06) Adekannbi, G. O.; Adebowale, B. A.; Ademiluwa, A.Mental illness is one of the most dreaded illnesses in human societies. Recent studies have investigated the phenomenon as neurosis with psychotic manifestations in individuals across societies. However, there are diverse opinions on the cause(s) of mental illness. Therefore, interrogating the subject from the worldviews of two traditional societies— Ancient Greece and Yoruba - the study classifies the causes of mental illness into three: natural, physical and supernatural. It further investigates attitudinal correlation between societies in the classical era and modem times in the perception of mental disorders. The aims to determine if prejudices or biases are proximal or distal in both societies and to highlight the social implications for interpersonal relationships, especially as bases for the acceptance and social instability of those who experience mental illness. The study, which is basically descriptive, adopts philosophical and cultural analytical methods to foreground textual explication, using the works of Plato, Hippocrates. Oluwole and Jegede. The paper shows that both in Ancient Greece and Yoruba societies, mental illness is attributed to retribution from the gods and accounts for the preponderance of Greek mythologies and tragedies. contextualising madness as inflicted by wrathful or envious gods or goddesses. It concludes that the stigmatisation of affected persons often emasculates them as they are deprived of proper healthcare during the period of illness, and denied social protection and recognition if they are fortunate enough to receive treatment. Invariably, the society is impoverished through this latent brain drainItem Between the margins and the mainstream: the odyssey of women in Greek and Yorùbá thoughts(2017) Adebowale, B. A.; Akinboye., G. A.Scholars have generally appraised issues relating to women from the viewpoint of gender inequalities and claimed that the female folk are largely oppressed by their male counterparts. Without doubt, the twenty-first century has witnessed gender relations characterized by a lot of imbalances especially to the detriment of women. However, studies have shown that in many societies, women enjoy some undeniable rights, and that prior to slave trade, colonialism and the advent of the missionaries in Africa, Yoruba women of Southwest Nigeria enjoyed certain privileges as much as their male counterparts and such as demanded by Plato in his 'ideal state'. This paper investigates the ideal roles and status of women from historical, religious, philosophical and cultural perspectives of the Yoruba people and compares their phenomenon with those of the ancient Athens as projected by Plato. Examining the rights of women from these two socio-cultural milieus, the paper establishes when and how gender inequality became a subject of debate in the histories of the Greek and the Yoruba peopleItem The Devil’: Hermes and Èṣù in ancient Greek and Yoruba traditional religions(2016) Adebowale, B. A.The history of human society reveals that belief in divinity or divinities has been an integral part of human life. Human beings have an inborn desire to identify with a supreme being or supernatural beings. However, religious beliefs differ from one society to another. Christianity and other monotheistic religions are startling different from other traditional religions. Notably, Èsù is the name given to Devil or Satan in the Yoruba translation of the Bible, Yoruba traditional religions, however, do not portray Èsù as the personal embodiment UÙof evil as reflected in the Yoruba translation of the Bible, but rather as a benevolent deity and one of the functionaries of Olódùmarè. Èsù is the Yoruba counterpart of the Greek god, Hermes, who holds a unique position in Greek religion. Hermes, like his Yoruba counterpart, is a god who wears many masks; he is the herald of the gods, a trickster and the guide that leads the dead soul into Hades as psychopompos- soul guide. Hermes and Èsù exhibit the highest number of similar traits in the pantheons of the ancient Greek and Yoruba gods. This paper examines the positions and attributes of Hermes and Èsù in the ancient Greek and Yoruba traditional religions in comparison with Biblical perceptions of Satan the DevilItem Aristotle’s human virtue and Yorùbá worldview of ọmọlúàbí: an ethical-cultural interpretation(2016) Adebowale, B. A.; Onayemi., F.This paper gives an interpretative ethical-cultural analysis of the Aristotelian concepts of virtue in ancient Greece and Omoluabi in Yoruba worldview through the four Cardinal virtues of prudence, justice, courage and temperance. Generally, virtue and vices are common terminologies in ethical theories. They constitute significant principles or rules for moral actions. Virtues are ways of describing the habit of following those principles and rules. However, Aristotle, rather than explaining right or wrong in terms of rules, appraises the human characteristics through actions that make a person virtuous, enabling him to act ethically or acceptably under different circumstances that cannot be covered by rules or principle. Aristotle developed a significant description of human virtue in two of his texts, the Nicomachean Ethics and the Eudemian Ethics and reached several conclusions on what it means for a person to be virtuous. In the Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle describes virtue as qualities needed to live morally and to achieve the overall purpose in life - happiness. He maintains that striking a balance between a deficiency and an excess of a trait is important. He considers virtue as a state of being which abets a person to live according to reason. Aristotle’s virtue relates to the Yoruba ideology of Omoluabi the philosophical and cultural concept used to describe someone of good and virtuous nature. An omoluabi is expected to display and exhibit great virtues and values translating the core moral conduct in Yoruba culture, such as humility, good-naturedness, bravery, good will, diligence among othersItem Soul as the sole determinant of human personality in Plato and Yoruba traditional thought(CSCanada, 2014) Adebowale, B. A.The soul, as a concept, has been a subject of philosophical inquiry in ancient, medieval and modern history of ideas. There is no universal agreement on the nature or purpose of the soul. Thus, the term “soul” has been given various definitions according to the philosophical theories and cultural perspectives in which it is defined. Soul, according to many religious and philosophical traditions, is the “self-aware essence” unique to a particular living being. In these traditions, the soul is believed to incorporate the inner essence of each living being. Both Plato and the Yoruba consider the soul as the immaterial element that, together with the material body, constitutes the human individual. Plato in The Republic presents a tripartite soul which harmonious interaction produces an esteemed human personality. This Plato’s idea mirrors the notion of the Yoruba that a man’s soul is the reflection of his personality. The word ‘soul’ has been investigated from divergent thematic perspectives — invisibility, intangibility, immortality and reclamation — but this paper sets as its task to examine the Platonic and Yoruba presentations of the soul as the sole determinant of human personalityItem Perception of mental illness in ancient Greek and contemporary(Faculty of Arts, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria, 2018-06) Adekannbi, G. O.; Adebowale, B. A.; Ademiluwa, A.Mental illness is one of the most dreaded illnesses in human societies. Recent studies have investigated the phenomenon as neurosis with psychotic manifestations in individuals across societies. However, there are diverse opinions on the cause(s) of mental illness. Therefore, interrogating the subject from the worldviews of two traditional societies— Ancient Greece and Yoruba - the study classifies the causes of mental illness into three: natural, physical and supernatural. It further investigates attitudinal correlation between societies in the classical era and modern times in the perception of mental disorders. The aims to detarmine if prejudices or biases are proximal or distal in both societies and to highlight the social implications for interpersonal relationships, especially as bases for the acceptance and social instability of those who experience mental illness. The study, which is basically descriptive, adopts philosophical and cultural analytical methods to foreground textual explication, using the works of Plato, Hippocrates, Oluwole and Jegede. The paper shows that both in Ancient Greece and Yoruba societies, mental illness is attributed to retribution from the gods and accounts for the preponderance of Greek mythologies and tragedies, contextualising madness as inflicted by wrathful or envious gods or goddesses. It concludes that the stigmatisation of affected persons often emasculates them as they are deprived of proper healthcare during the period of illness, and denied social protection and recognition if they are fortunate enough to receive treatment. Invariably, the society is impoverished through this latent brain drain.