Quote by Zera Yacob: “The truth is not found by multitude, but by the light of reason.”

Zera Yacob argued that popular opinion or widespread belief does not automatically make something true. Instead, genuine truth is discovered through careful, individual reasoning and logical inquiry, not by majority consensus.

In his period of solitary reflection, Zera Yacob rigorously applied reason to various beliefs, concluding that collective agreement was an unreliable measure of truth. His philosophy championed individual rational discernment.

Ethiopian philosopher of the seventeenth century whose Hatata — written around 1667 — presented a rational, empirical philosophy of ethics and religion independent of any European Enlightenment influence. He is considered one of the first African rationalist philosophers and remains under-read in Western philosophy curricula.