Aristotle’s Concept of Virtue Ethics and Moral Education in Yoruba Communities of Osun State

Aristotle's virtue ethics, with its emphasis on character formation, practical wisdom (phronesis), and community as the locus of moral development, shares important structural affinities with Yoruba ethical traditions centred on Iwa (character) and social harmony. This study examines these structural parallels and investigates how an Aristotelian virtue ethics framework might inform or be enriched by Yoruba moral education practices in communities in Osun State, South West Nigeria. A qualitative comparative methodology was adopted, drawing on philosophical textual analysis of the Nicomachean Ethics alongside semi-structured interviews with 30 community elders, Ifa diviners, and secondary school teachers in Ile-Ife, Ede, and Osogbo. The analysis explores convergences in the role of community in virtuous habituation, the importance of practical wisdom in ethical decision-making, and the concept of flourishing (eudaimonia) alongside Yoruba concepts of alafia and ire. Findings demonstrate deep structural convergences between Aristotelian virtue ethics and Yoruba ethical frameworks, particularly in the communal formation of virtuous character and the centrality of practical judgment. Significant divergence occurs around metaphysical grounding, with Yoruba ethics embedded in cosmological relationships with orisa that have no direct Aristotelian equivalent. The study concludes that a dialogue between Aristotelian and Yoruba ethics enriches both traditions and recommends the development of an African virtue ethics curriculum integrating both frameworks for use in Osun State secondary schools.

Keywords: Aristotle, virtue ethics, Yoruba ethics, moral education, Osun State