AN IGWEBUIKE PERSPECTIVE OF ACTION AS NEUTRAL AND EXISTENTIAL

Abstract

Action understanding is defined as: “The capacity to achieve the internal description of an action and to use it to organize appropriate future behavior”.[1] Since the advent of the mirror neuron explanation to action understanding, there has been a lot of uproar as to whether this can be finally named to be the solution of the age long misunderstanding of the phenomenon known as the decoding of the others’ action or whether this as other before it, is merely a fluke. The Mirror Neuron System (MNS) proposed in the 80s’ by Rizzolati et al, is called upon in the explanation of a range of activities arising from the other, namely intention, action, imitation. That is to say that with the aid of Mirror Neurons (MNs), we can be able to decode the others’ actions and intention, and even engage in mimicry, if it be the case. More to this, we can also engage in empathy, which is totally human and interact intersubjectively. This according to the MN proposers can be explained via MNs. Furthermore, what this says is that a full understanding of the other, is wired in the brain of the human person, that is to say that it is neural. According to the MNS explanation of action understanding is: When an observed action evokes a neural activity which is normally evoked when the observed action is executed, the meaning of the action is understood because of the similarity between the two neural activities. Action understanding could be mediated by the MNS. But what truly defines our ability to understand the action of the other, and in the same wise, understand the other? If we define action understanding as the ability to decode and decipher the action of the other, even without being told, can we say that it is because we have a wired-to-grasp neural mechanism that determines this? Or are these mechanism a mere reflection of the existential-ness, the Igwebuike-ness, of the action understanding reality? The Igwebuike thesis pays attention to the existential-ness of persons, thereby situating the understanding of the human action, not on neural mechanism, but on the ibikọ ọnụ ọnụ element of the Igbo-verse. Igwebuike says that action understanding is tied to the existential structures of togetherness that colorfully defines the Igbo worldview, and that of the entirety of the human race. This paper would seek to explain how vital Igwebuike is to action understanding, determining it, even though it is scientifically situated in the neural mechanism of the brain. Here the Igbo existentialism enjoys a rapport with science. It starts off by giving a full understanding of the MNs thesis. It will then move on to explain why this thesis is seemingly flawed based on the evidence that counteract the scientific findings that have been proposed by the MNs proponents. Then we will eventually end up with one conclusion, namely that action understanding is better mediated by the fact of living together, that is to say that a shared existence is what makes understanding of the action of the other better articulated.