Ezumezu: A Logic System for Grounding the Notion of Belongingness in African Philosophy

Abstract

The notion of belongingness in African philosophy has its most profound expression in Pantaleon Iroegbu’s uwa ontology, which stipulates that being is that which exists in the community, or, as he puts it, “To be is to belong.” The main contention of this article is that Jonathan O. Chimakonam’s ezumezu logic is fully equipped to explain this ontology of belongingness. This is due to the trivalent and dynamic nature of this African culture–inspired logic, which adequately captures the African conception of reality. According to this conception, individual entities continue to coexist or to belong in the community without losing their respective identities.