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The Light and Twilight of Zera Yaekob’s Philosophy for the Eminence of European Enlightenment

Received: 09 October 2019    Accepted: 04 November 2019    Published: 06 January 2020
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Abstract

The objective of this paper is to scrutinize the role of Zera Yaekob’s philosophy of the current existing European enlightenment period/age of reason which was claimed to be the philosophy of Immanuel Kant. Zera Yaekob’s philosophy is systematically ignored and neglected by Euro-philosophers because of various reasons. Underscoring the following research questions is pertinent to resolve such neglecting: Is Zera Yaekob’s philosophy really hollow of the European enlightenment? Why Euro-philosophers systematically ignored his philosophy, nevertheless, his philosophical outlook still working there? To harangue these questions, therefore, the researcher employed philosophical methods of qualitative/analysis and phenomenology. Zera Yaekob’s rationalistic philosophy seems to, like the ocean, have diverse echelons. The usual daily activities have been documented by philosophical philosophers, starting from his mouthpiece Welde Hewot till now according to a Canadian philosopher Claude Sumner. Now a day, several Neo-Zera Yaekobian’s are emerging on the philosophical scene of metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, gender and the like. The streams—the sincere pillar of the ocean that mixes water across the world and it embodies the most philosophical echelons of enlightenment. This is why Zera Yaekob’s philosophy is considered as a premium spring/notebook of western enlightenment philosophy. The researcher argues that the Enlightenment culminated their climax with Zera Yacob of Abyssinia in Africa than Immanuel Kant in Europe. Moreover, the paper also takes into account how his philosophical scene governs contemporary African philosophy. Above all, surprisingly but terribly also, they (European) are there with the light of enlightenment because we (Africans) are here with the twilight of counter-enlightenment.

DOI 10.11648/j.ash.20200601.11
Published in Advances in Sciences and Humanities (Volume 6, Issue 1, March 2020)
Page(s) 1-8
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This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Philosophy, Ethiopia, Zera Yaekob’s Philosophy, European Enlightenment

References
[1] Claude. Sumner. (1976). Ethiopian Philosophy: The treatise of Zär'a Ya'aqob and of Wäldäqaywdt Text and Authorship, Vol. II, Addis Ababa University Printing Press.
[2] Deligiorgi, Katerina. (2005). Kant and the Culture of Enlightenment: State University of New York Press.
[3] Sumner. Claude. (2004). The Light and the Shadow: Zera Yacob and Walda Heywat: Two Ethiopian Philosophers of the Seventeenth Century. Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
[4] https://aeon.co/essays/yacob-and-amo-africas-precursors-to-locke-hume-and-kant.
[5] Miller, L. ED. (1984). Questions That Matter: An Invitation to Philosophy. McGraw-HILL Book Company.
[6] K. J. Marx. (2009). The Usefulness of The Kantian Philosophy. Ridderprint Offsetdrukkerij.
[7] Teodros. Kiros. (2004). Zera Yacob and Traditional Ethiopian Philosophy. A Companion to African Philosophy. Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
[8] Berlin. Isaiah. (1956). The Age of Enlightenment: The Eighteenth-Century Philosophers. Oxford the Isaiah Berlin Literary Trust.
[9] S. J. Barnett. (2000). The Enlightenment And Religion: The Myth Of Modernity. Manchester University Press.
[10] Kant, Immanuel. (1784). Answer the Question: What is Enlightenment? Konigsberg in Prussia.
[11] Lavine, T. Z, (1984). From Socrates To Sartre: The Philosophic Quest. New York.
[12] Kiros. Teodros.(2004). Zera Yacob And Traditional Ethiopian Philosophy. A Companion To African Philosophy. Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
[13] Goldmann. Lucien.(1973). The Philosophy of the Enlightenment The Christian Burgess.
[14] Nuovo. Victor. (2011). Christianity, Antiquity, and Enlightenment: Interpretations of Locke. Springer.
[15] Kelley. R. Donald. (1991). Versions of History from Antiquity to the Enlightenment. Yale University Press, New Haven & London.
[16] Teodros. Kiros. (1996). Claude Sumner's Classical Ethiopian Philosophy. Northeast African Studies, New Series, Vol. 3, No. 2 (1996), pp. 39-52.
[17] Marx. J. K. (2009). The Usefulness of The Kantian Philosophy. Ridderprint Offsetdrukkerij Bv, Ridderkerk.
[18] https://www.africanexponent.com/post/9551-african-thought-leaders-embraced-enlightenment-before-europ).
[19] https://zelalemkibret.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/zara-yaaqob-the-ethiopian-philosopher-founder-of-hatata
[20] Paine, Thomas. (1796). The Age Of Reason: The Writings Of Thomas Paine. Vol. IV. The Project of Gutenberg.
[21] Rober, B. Louden. (2007). The World We Want. Oxford University Press. And the Enlightenment. Routledge & Kegan Paul London.
Author Information
  • Department of Civics and Ethical Studies, College of Social Sciences and Humanities, Raya University, Maichew, Ethiopia

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    Kahsu Abrha Belew. (2020). The Light and Twilight of Zera Yaekob’s Philosophy for the Eminence of European Enlightenment. Advances in Sciences and Humanities, 6(1), 1-8. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ash.20200601.11

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    Kahsu Abrha Belew. The Light and Twilight of Zera Yaekob’s Philosophy for the Eminence of European Enlightenment. Adv. Sci. Humanit. 2020, 6(1), 1-8. doi: 10.11648/j.ash.20200601.11

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    Kahsu Abrha Belew. The Light and Twilight of Zera Yaekob’s Philosophy for the Eminence of European Enlightenment. Adv Sci Humanit. 2020;6(1):1-8. doi: 10.11648/j.ash.20200601.11

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  • @article{10.11648/j.ash.20200601.11,
      author = {Kahsu Abrha Belew},
      title = {The Light and Twilight of Zera Yaekob’s Philosophy for the Eminence of European Enlightenment},
      journal = {Advances in Sciences and Humanities},
      volume = {6},
      number = {1},
      pages = {1-8},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ash.20200601.11},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ash.20200601.11},
      eprint = {https://download.sciencepg.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ash.20200601.11},
      abstract = {The objective of this paper is to scrutinize the role of Zera Yaekob’s philosophy of the current existing European enlightenment period/age of reason which was claimed to be the philosophy of Immanuel Kant. Zera Yaekob’s philosophy is systematically ignored and neglected by Euro-philosophers because of various reasons. Underscoring the following research questions is pertinent to resolve such neglecting: Is Zera Yaekob’s philosophy really hollow of the European enlightenment? Why Euro-philosophers systematically ignored his philosophy, nevertheless, his philosophical outlook still working there? To harangue these questions, therefore, the researcher employed philosophical methods of qualitative/analysis and phenomenology. Zera Yaekob’s rationalistic philosophy seems to, like the ocean, have diverse echelons. The usual daily activities have been documented by philosophical philosophers, starting from his mouthpiece Welde Hewot till now according to a Canadian philosopher Claude Sumner. Now a day, several Neo-Zera Yaekobian’s are emerging on the philosophical scene of metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, gender and the like. The streams—the sincere pillar of the ocean that mixes water across the world and it embodies the most philosophical echelons of enlightenment. This is why Zera Yaekob’s philosophy is considered as a premium spring/notebook of western enlightenment philosophy. The researcher argues that the Enlightenment culminated their climax with Zera Yacob of Abyssinia in Africa than Immanuel Kant in Europe. Moreover, the paper also takes into account how his philosophical scene governs contemporary African philosophy. Above all, surprisingly but terribly also, they (European) are there with the light of enlightenment because we (Africans) are here with the twilight of counter-enlightenment.},
     year = {2020}
    }
    

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