Na encruzilhada do destino: a liberdade como aquilo que define o significado de ser humano, segundo a filosofia de Òrúnmìlà

This article proposes a deconstruction of fatalistic readings of the concept of Orí in the thought of Òrúnmìlà, engaging critically with the interpretations of Bọlájí Idowu and Ségun Gbadegesin, for whom the three modes through which destiny is granted in Ifá (Àkúnlẹ̀yàn, Àkúnlẹ̀gbà, and Ayànmọ) would amount to an unalterable subjection of the agent to a preordained plan. Through a hermeneutic-allegorical and philological analysis of these concepts, and drawing on the etymology of ènìyàn (the person who chooses), the article argues that these three instances do not constitute fatalism, but rather expressions of free will (Ìfẹ́-àtinúwá) and of the agent's moral responsibility. It is argued that the fatalistic reading stems from an excessively literal interpretation of Ifá's myths and proverbs, one that overlooks their allegorical dimension and the centrality of choice (yàn) to the ontological constitution of the human being. The article further distinguishes the content of the chosen destiny, irrevocable, from the manner in which that destiny unfolds in earthly existence, which depends on the agent's character (ìwà) and effort (ẹsẹ̀). It concludes that Ifá constitutes a philosophical system in which the human being is the protagonist of his or her own destiny, so that the fatalistic interpretation stands as an antithesis to the philosophy of Òrúnmìlà.