THE DIMENSION OF NECESSITY IN ASOUZU’S ONTOLOGY

Résumé

The work, The Dimension of Neccessity in Asouzu’s Ontology is carefully addressed from the philosophical point of view of Ibuanyidanda (Mutual Complementary and Comprehensive Reflection), and is a critical analysis of Asouzu’s ontology (Complementarity). This ontology can be understood if and only if we have a clear picture of Asouzu’s notion of being and nothingness. The work holds that any bifurcative and polarizing concept of being is problematic. After a critical study of Asouzu’s ontology as based on the concept of Ibuanyidanda, undergirded by the principle that “whatever exists serves a missing link of reality” (Ibuanyidanda, 253) I discover that Asouzu’s idea is antithetical to the ideas of most philosophers especially Sartre whose idea of being is bifurcating and polarizing in nature. A study of his work revealed that Sartre whose original intention was to overcome the bifurcating and polarizing notion of being that was predominant in Western Philosophy in turn fell into the same problem as he notes that being is of two kinds namely, being-in-itself and being-for-itself. He afterwards focused all his philosophizing on being-for-itself (human being), which he term nothingness. And through this nothingness, being-for-itself negates the existence of other beings. This paper therefore seeks to analyze Asouzu’s idea of being and nothingness in the perspective of his mutual complementary and comprehensive reflection as the necessary dimension to understanding ibuanyidanda philosophy. By so doing, I shall dwells on his works in conjunction with the library method where relevant literatures or works are interpreted and synthesized for our purpose. Finally, I shall advanced in conclusion that from the framework of Asouzu’s Ibuanyidanda philosophy there is no need for bifurcation and polarization of being and that all aspects and kinds of being cannot exist outside a mutual complementary relationship since they are serving as missing links to each other. The benefit of such a conception of being is that it ensures harmony, mutual relations and integration of all aspects of being, and this in turn could improve interpersonal relations in our society.