On the philosophies of Zera Ya‘qob and Welde Hiwot: a comparative analysis on their lessons of social philosophies

Abstract

Philosophical thinking is one of the areas of knowledge that has existed in Ge‘ez literature since ancient times. The focus of this study was to analyze lessons of social philosophies from the various concepts in the indigenous philosophical books known as Hateta Zera Ya‘qob and Hateta Wolde Hiwot. According to the books, Hateta Zera Ya‘qob was written by an ancient Ethiopian philosopher known in the community as Worke, also called in the Christen name Zera Ya‘qob, who was born in 1592 E.C. Hateta Wolde Hiwot was also a philosophical thought which was written by Wolde Hiwot who was a student of Zera Ya‘qob. Many Europeans have written against Africans as they do not have any philosophical knowledge or ideas, and, they used this as a potent tool to make African generations lose their identities. On the contrary, this study focuses on the status of 17th century thiopian philosophy. Document review was the tool of data collection for the study, and the Ge‘ez texts written by Zara Ya‘qob and Wolde Hiwot have been used as sources of information. Interviews were also conducted with selected scholars to secure a better clarity. The information gathered is presented in a comprehensive analysis with qualitative approach. Accordingly, the social lessons described by Zara Ya‘qob and Wolde Hiwot by were classified into their categories and presented with analysis. Finally, the study suggested the incorporation of the identified philosophical ideas in to the text books of ethical education as they contribute immensely to social building.