International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Vol. 9 • No. 6 • June 2019 doi:10.30845/ijhss.v9n6p8 64 The Humanism of Segun Ogungbemi: His Journey to the Vision of Openness TAIWO, Olusegun Stephen Department of Philosophy Adekunle Ajasin University Akungba-Akoko, Ondo State Nigeria Abstract This paper examines the philosophical dexterity of Segun Ogungbemi in order to articulate his ideology as one that portrays humanism as a philosophical doctrine. Segun Ogungbemi in his philosophical disquisitions profoundly distorts and refutes some religious beliefs and metaphysical assumptions that could not be graphically established. To achieve our aim, the paper shall have a general understanding of what humanism. The paper reflects on some thoughts of Ogungbemi as articulated in some of his philosophical discourses that reflect humanist thought. The humanism of Ogungbemi is based on his liberal disposition to knowledge which he writes out of his personal conviction about the idea he canvasses. His disposition unarguably leads to fecundity of ideas and knowledge in the ever-increasing multidisciplinary environment. Keywords: Segun Ogungbemi, humanism, humanities, African Traditional Religion. Short Biographic Note Taiwo, Olusegun Stephen teaches Philosophy at Adekunle Ajasin University. His area of interest is in African Womanism, Existentialism, Ethics and African Philosophy. Introduction The impetus to write this paper comes from the inspiration and advice of Mary E. Modupe Kolawole in her paper titled “Literature and Sustainability in the Age of Technology” at Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko for the Nigerian Academy of Letters Annual Lecture 2011. She posits inter alia that: The world will always need the humanities to humanise it. A Yoruba proverb relevant to the dilemma of social change says „agbaraojokoniohunkoniwo ‘le, onileni o nigba fun‟ meaning the flood does not mind demolishing the house, but the owner will not allow it. The African writer must not allow social change or technological advancement to destroy the impact of culture. One way of sustaining culture especially literature, is to adopt technology and adapt it. 1 (Kolawole, 2011:2) The admonition for African writer is what I want to showcase to salute the courage and humanism of Segun Ogungbemi. By humanism, I mean the philosophical and ethical stances that Ogungbemi took which emphasize the value and agency of human beings. Furthermore, I extend humanism to mean a most human philosophy of life. The paper vigorously examines the philosophical dexterity of Segun Ogungbemi in order to articulate his ideology as one that portrays humanism as a philosophical doctrine. Segun Ogungbemiin his philosophical disquisitions profoundly distort and refute some religious beliefs and metaphysical assumptions that could not be graphically established. He often refers to such beliefs as enigma that rational minds grapple and contend with. For his philosophical attitudes and interpretations of African worldview, one finds it difficult to locate the best doctrine under which his philosophical analysis could be classified. This reflects the fact that his postulations, though anti-Christian in nature, does not mean he is a staunch atheist neither could he be considered as a theist because of his doubts about the attributes of a religious God in the presence of challenges in contemporary society; yet, he eulogizes the efficacy of some Yoruba traditional deities in Yoruba traditional religion. Ogungbemi sets the springboard of his philosophical humanism on his rejection of the biblical creation story which he considered as a myth. He argues that “no man called Adam, or a woman called Eve, ever lived. The word „Adam‟ means man and the word „Eve‟ means woman. The „genetic sin‟ of Adam, scholars argue, is counter-intuitive and morally unjust if taken literally. Scientists have also argued that the universe created by God has no purpose.” 2 (Ogungbemi, 2007:160). This thought, as pointed out by Ogungbemi, makes him set some criteria which he considered as minimal to include: God‟s appearance must be public and universal rather than private and individualistic; all the omni… attributes of God should be discountenanced; the universality of the existence of God must be indubitable in any form of linguistic description; and the moral principles of God must be such that they enhance the well-being of humans rather than worsen their condition either here on earth or in the hereafter, assuming there is immortality.