PHILOSOPHY OF 'EZI-OKWU-BU-NDU' AND THE ISSUE OF AUTHENTICITY: AN EXAMINATION

Abstract

This article focuses on the examination of Philosophy of 'Eziokwu-bu-ndu' and the question of authenticity of human existence. 'Eziokwu-bu-ndu', which is literally translated as 'truth is life,' is one of the ideological legacies of the traditional Igbo people. The question of what actually constitutes truth has been the major concern of human beings in different parts of the world. Philosophers, particularly epistemologists, have searched and are still searching for the exact meaning of the term'truth'. The traditional Igbo people, through their insistence on 'Eziokwu-bu-ndu' (truth is life), consciously or unconsciously raised truth to an ontological status. The fundamental questions are: What is 'Eziokwu-bundu'? Is there any relationship between truth and life? What is Philosophy of 'Eziokwu-bundu'? What are the necessary conditions for the possibility of Philosophy of 'Eziokwu-bundu'? What are the tenets and principles of Philosophy of 'Eziokwu-bu-ndu'? How does Philosophy of 'Eziokwu-bu-ndu' address the question of authenticity of human existence? These and other related issues are scholarly very pertinent, and they are the major focus of this article. Employing analytical and hermeneutical methods of philosophical investigation, this article examines Philosophy of 'Eziokwu-bu-ndu' and the issue of authenticity of human existence. It argues and maintains that authenticity does not lie on 'standing out' as Martin Heidegger argued or on making free and responsible choices as Sartre argued, but on living a life of truth. Hence, truth is the fundamental and indispensable principle of human existence.