Enyimba’s Notion of Madukaku and The Question of Anthropocentricism In African Environmental Ethics

Authors : Samuel BASSEY, Thomas PİMARO

Pages : 129-136

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Publication Date : 2019-07-01

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :The purpose of this study is to scrutinize Enyimba’s theory of Madukakism as a philosophy of being human within the African framework and to show its implication to African environmental ethics. Enyimba’s theory Madukakism as a philosophy of being human is founded on the notion of Madukaku. Drawn from the Igbo ontological worldview, Madukaku avers that “man is supreme”, as such, possess strong anthropocentric implication on African worldview. Enyimba Maduka’s position seems logical as it draws its inspiration from the place of humans in the ecosystem and African ontology. This paper argues that although human occupies a central position to preserve, care and tend nature for the unity and balance of the ontology and ecosystem, it is perceived as anthropoholism. It is anthro-poholism because, despite man’s central role insert ignore into journalissuearticles values(Anthropo);, man is just a part of the insert ignore into journalissuearticles values(whole); environment, as such cannot exist outside the environment, and cannot be understood without allusion to the environment insert ignore into journalissuearticles values(Holism);. This research is carried out with the philosophical method of analysis.
Keywords : Madukaku, Madukakism, anthropocentric, communitarian, anthropoholism