Ethiopian philosophy claude sumner, zera yacob, welde. Pdf on nov 14, 2018, fasil merawi and others published zera yacobs hatata and the vitality of an indigenous ethiopian philosophy find. In this book on the original treatises of zara yacob and his disciple wolde hiwot, 17th c ethiopian philosophers, claude sumner made three significant contributions. Nevertheless zera yacob and walda heywat are certainly deserving of more than the nexttononexistent attention they have received for example, to my knowledge there has been no discussion of them or their philosophy in english philosophy journals, though there are a few descriptions in handbooks and encyclopedias. But it also seems to have some pretty substantial discussion of the historical and cultural setting. Treatise of zera yacob, chapter ii ethiopian philosophy. The parallels between yacob and western philosophy can already be seen with his origins. Unfortunately, most african philosophy is hard to codify because a lot of it is based in oral tradition. While i was teaching in my district, many of my friends came to dislike me. As the title implies, it seems to focus on the moral philosophy. Yacob was born on 28 august 1599 into a rather poor family on a farm outside axum, the legendary former capital in northern ethiopia. In the history of philosophy, no philosopher has criticized the ontological argument. This experience helped him to begin his philosophy during his two years time in the cave near the tekeze river to escape from the accusation of. To this end, i have chosen zara yacob and a topic that defines his philosophy, i.
Pdf zara yacob is a prominent ethiopian philosopher of the 17th century who transcended the cultural forces. During this period there was no real friendship and as a result men became jealous of one another. Treatise of zera yacob, chapter i ethiopian philosophy. He studied the books of the psalms of david and the interpretation of the holy scriptures. Plato, and aristotle via the neoplatonic dialogues, also influenced by arab philosophy and the ethiopian discussions. Zera yacob was a seventeenthcentury ethiopian philosopher from tigray.
I remember when you first announced that you would be making a series on african philosophy i was pleasantly surprised as it is not a region that is often talked about at all. Ethiopian philosophers, zara yacob and wolde hiwot, through referring to different branches of philosophy. I surpassed the others in knowledge and in love of ones neighbour and i was on good terms with all, even with. Hateta zerayakob treaties of zera yacob in amharic. Zera yacobs hatata and the vitality of an indigenous. Zera yacob refers to reason as the light of the heart. The meditations of zara yaquob 1 teodoros kiros suffolk university abstract. That i may not be misled in my faith, i believe nothing.
This is the internets foremost alright, only blog devoted to ethiopian philosophy. Selected papers from the sixth annual conference of the isaps. Zara yacob and wold hiwot, to ethiopian philosophy introduction zara yacob was born from poor farmers in aksum. The philosopher would flee to a cave and spend two years in isolation pondering his relationship with god.
Numerous and frequentlyupdated resource results are available from this search. I love this podcast and cant wait for more, but i am concerned with the quality of the last few episodes. His view of the heart as the seat of thought, offers an alternative to the philosophy of calculation and empiricism, which is refreshing when. Once lost to history, now his ideas about god and ethics can be celebrated and learned. Through an interrogation of zera yacob s hatata, this paper argues that, 1 zera yacob s philosophy, by developing a system of philosophy guided by the light of reason challenges western conceptions of africa and africans as prelogical, barbaric and uncivilized, 2 the hatata introduced a rational foundation for ethics that could be used.
The translation is sumners, though ive made a few stylistic adjustments. Since zera yacob may not be well known to all the readers of this journal, i would like to preface my article with a general introduction so that all would be in a position to understand zera yacob s contribution to ethiopian philosophy and to the history of human thought. Zera yacob was born on 28 august 1599 into a rather poor family on a farm outside axum, the. First, his translation of the original geez manuscripts presents the texts into the larger academic audience and intellectual circles of philosophy and african studies. Zera yacob philosopher wikipedia republished wiki 2. Zera yacob s inquiry goes further than these former texts, as he argues in following ones natural reasoning instead of believing what one is told by others. The extract here, taken from claude sumners text by way of the worlds foremost blog on the philosophy of zera yacob presents the inception of the philosophers life and the origin of his questioning. For the prince, see zera yacob amha selassie, crown prince of ethiopia.
Reliable information about the coronavirus covid19 is available from the world health organization current situation, international travel. Pdf on nov 14, 2018, fasil merawi and others published zera yacob s hatata and the vitality of an indigenous ethiopian philosophy find, read and cite all the research you need on. The contribution of native ethiopian philosophers, zara. His treatise hatata 1667 is a work often included in the narrow canon of universal philosophy. They belong on a map of the history of philosophy, and this blog is. The meditations of zara yaquob by tedros kiros pdf zara yaeqobs argument for the existence of god pdf the contribution of native ethiopian philosopher pdf african philosophy in ethiopia pdf a companion to african philosophy pdf an introduction to africana philosophy pdf. Gorfu, a campus wide philosophy essay competition was held by the. Two ethiopian philosophers of the seventeenth century, in wiredu and abraham, eds. However, there is one philosopher that i have found who has really captured my interest.
In memory of the late wt zemeta gorfu, sister of poet and philosopher g. The blog is named after philosopher zera yacob 15991692. Ethiopian philosopher zera yacob 15991692, also spelled zara yaqob. The work should contribute mightily to the reshaping of the image of african philosophy in our time. Zera yacob, africas forgotten classical liberal world. Zera yacobs hatata and the vitality of an indigenous ethiopian philosophy fasil merawi abstract in todays globalized world, indigenous knowledge is seen as.
Oclcs webjunction has pulled together information and resources to assist library staff as they consider how to handle coronavirus. There is a need to produce plausible references and accounts to demonstrate he wrote the hateta. A philosophy essay competition at aau in memory of the late ms. Ethiopian philosopher zera yacob came up with philosophy that prefigured enlightenment thinkers hume, descartes, locke, kant, and the us founding fathers. In the rationality of the human heart, teodros kiros takes compelling look into the works of philosopher zara yacob.
Zera yacob 15991692 is the most important exponent of this renaissance. Zera yacob, an ethiopian philosopher and his hatata. What type of argument does ibn sina avicenna make for the existence of god. It turns out that a good party is mostly just a party without hegel. This article is about zera yacob, the 17th century philosopher. Kwasi wiredu, professor of philosophy, university of. Yacob lived in the 17th century in abyssinia in contemporary ethiopia. Claude sumner was the first englishspeaking scholar to introduce the thoughts of zara yaquob to the philosophical world. Africana philosophy is a species of africana thought, which involves theoretical questions raised by critical engagements with ideas in africana cultures and their hybrid, mixed, or creolized forms worldwide. The contribution of native ethiopian philosophers, zara yacob and. Contains an english translation of zera yacob s treatise and four other texts. Indeed for claude sumner, modern philosophy, in the sense of a personal rationalistic critical investigation, began in ethiopia with zara. This detailed exposition of the thought of zara yacob 15991692 is at once informative, interpretative and reflective.
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