Zera Yacob

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This article is about Zera Yacob, the 17th century philosopher. For the Prince, see Zera Yacob Amha Selassie, Crown Prince of Ethiopia. For the emperor, see Zara Yaqob.

Zera Yacob (1599 - 1692) was an Ethiopian philosopher who believed in following one's natural reasoning instead of believing what one is told by others. During his lifetime, Zera encountered many wars fought over religion due to the temporal nature of Ethiopia's leadership during this time.

Yacob is most noted for his ethical philosophy surrounding the principle of harmony. He purported that an action's morality is decided by whether it advances or degrades overall harmony in the world. His philosophy is theistic in nature. While he did believe in a deity, whom he referred to as God, he rejected any set of religious beliefs. Rather than deriving beliefs from any organized religion, Yacob sought the truth in observing the natural world.

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