Authors
Ferdinand Chukwunwike Okigbo
Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Igbariam
Anambra State , Nigeria
+2348035817908chinwikeokigbo@yahoo.com
Johnpaul Chinedu Enemuo, PhD
Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State,
Nigeria +2348063925912jc.enemuo@unizik.edu.ng
Abstract
The question of consciousness remains one of the most
enduring concerns in philosophy. From classical
metaphysics to contemporary philosophy of mind,
scholars have sought to explain the nature, structure,
and significance of conscious experience. Discussions on
consciousness have largely been shaped by Western
philosophical assumptions that privilege individual
subjectivity and self-contained rationality. This
orientation has often obscured alternative conceptions of consciousness embedded in non-Western intellectual
traditions. Drawing on Igbo epistemology and African
relational ontology, this work develops an Igbo theory of
consciousness grounded in selfhood, spirituality, and
relational existence. Employing phenomenological and
hermeneutical methods, the work examines the
interconnected roles of personhood, communal
belonging, ancestral continuity, and sacred participation
in shaping conscious experience. It argues that
consciousness in Igbo thought is not merely a private
mental phenomenon but a relational mode of existence
constituted through participation in communal, spiritual,
and ontological realities. Via the concepts of ontological
consciousness, relational consciousness, spiritual
consciousness, communal consciousness, and
participatory consciousness, the work proposes a
Relational Theory of Consciousness which offers a
broader understanding of consciousness rooted in
interconnectedness and existential participation.
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