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Abstract

An examination of the nature of the human person provides a crucial foundation for understanding human life and identity. Conceptions of personhood have far-reaching implications beyond philosophy, influencing politics, ethics, religion, and epistemology. Beliefs about what constitutes a person shapes theories of rights, responsibility, and justice; moral views on duty and accountability; religious understandings of the soul and the afterlife; and epistemological reflections on the sources and limits of knowledge. Inquiry into human nature is therefore not merely abstract, but central to understanding social organization and individual conduct. This paper examines two influential accounts of human nature drawn from distinct philosophical traditions: René Descartes’ account from the European (French) tradition and Alabi Oyeshile’s interpretation of the African (Yoruba) tradition. Descartes presents a rationalist and dualist conception of the human person, sharply distinguishing mind from body and identifying reason as the defining feature of personhood. This perspective has profoundly shaped Western philosophy and modern conceptions of the self. In contrast, Oyeshile’s account of Yoruba thought advances a holistic understanding of the human person, emphasizing the integration of physical, spiritual, communal, and ethical dimensions as mutually constitutive aspects of human existence. The aim of this paper is not to determine which account is more plausible, since such judgments depend on cultural and philosophical frameworks. Rather, it highlights how different contexts shape theories of human nature and argues that these accounts can be understood as complementary perspectives contributing to a richer understanding of personhood across traditions.

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