{"product_id":"the-hatata-inquiries-two-texts-of-seventeenth-century-african-philosophy-from-ethiopia-about-reason-the-creator-and-our-ethical-responsibilities-9783112214114","title":"The Hatata Inquiries: Two Texts of Seventeenth-Century African Philosophy from Ethiopia about Reason, the Creator, and Our Ethical Responsibilities","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe \u003cem\u003eHatata Inquiries\u003c\/em\u003e are two extraordinary texts of African philosophy composed in Ethiopia in the 1600s. Written in the ancient African language of Geʿez (Classical Ethiopic), these explorations of meaning and reason are deeply considered works of rhetoric. They advocate for women's rights and rail against slavery. They offer ontological proofs for God and question biblical commands while delighting in the language of Psalms. They advise on right living. They put reason above belief, desire above asceticism, love above sectarianism, and the natural world above the human. They explore the nature of being as well as the nature of knowledge, the human, ethics, and the human relation with the divine. They are remarkable examples of something many assume doesn't exist: early written African thought. \u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis accessible English translation of the \u003cem\u003eHatata Inquiries\u003c\/em\u003e, along with extensive footnotes documenting the cultural and historical context and the work's many textual allusions, enables all to read it and scholars to teach with it. The \u003cem\u003eHatata Inquiries\u003c\/em\u003e are essential to understanding the global history of philosophy, being among the early works of rational philosophy. \u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe book includes a translation by Ralph Lee with Mehari Worku and Wendy Laura Belcher of the \u003cem\u003eHatata Zara Yaqob\u003c\/em\u003e and the \u003cem\u003eHatata Walda Heywat\u003c\/em\u003e. The appendices by Jeremy R. Brown provide information on the scribal interventions in and the differences between the manuscripts of the two Hatatas. The book also includes a map, chronology, summary of the translation principles, and a discussion of the authorship debate about the \u003cem\u003eHatata Inquiries\u003c\/em\u003e. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e de Gruyter\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 06\/30\/2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9783112214114\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 234\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.12lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.06h x 6.10w x 0.54d","brand":"Zara Yaqob, Walda Heywat","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51334119882933,"sku":"9783112214114","price":18.69,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/files\/img_77397d1c-d2d7-4b15-9ff2-c7eb29ee8e86.jpg?v=1752583794","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/the-hatata-inquiries-two-texts-of-seventeenth-century-african-philosophy-from-ethiopia-about-reason-the-creator-and-our-ethical-responsibilities-9783112214114","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}