▁sevent e enth - century ▁Eth iop ian ▁phil os opher ▁from ▁Tig ray . ▁His ▁ 1 6 6 7 ▁treat ise , ▁developed ▁around ▁ 1 6 3 0 ▁and ▁known ▁in ▁the ▁original ▁Ge ' ez ▁language ▁as ▁the ▁Hat ä ta ▁( In qu iry ), ▁has ▁been ▁compared ▁to ▁René ▁Des cart es ' ▁Disc ours ▁de ▁la ▁mé th ode ▁( 1 6 3 7 ). ▁Many ▁of ▁his ▁ideas ▁pre date ▁similar ▁ideas ▁described ▁by ▁European ▁philosoph ers ▁during ▁the ▁Age ▁of ▁En light en ment , ▁the ▁latter ▁of ▁whom ▁form ▁the ▁basis ▁of ▁the ▁Western ▁canon , ▁while ▁Y ac ob ▁remains ▁compar atively ▁obsc ure ▁to ▁this ▁day . ▁ ▁For ▁centuries , ▁Ge ' ez ▁texts ▁had ▁been ▁written ▁in ▁Eth iop ia . ▁Ar ound ▁ 1 5 1 0 , ▁Abb a ▁M ika el ▁translated ▁and ▁adapted ▁the ▁Arab ic ▁Book ▁of ▁the ▁W ise ▁Philosoph ers ; ▁a ▁collection ▁of ▁say ings ▁from ▁the ▁early ▁Greek ▁Pre - S ocrat ics , ▁Pl ato , ▁and ▁Arist ot le ▁via ▁the ▁ne o - Pl at onic ▁dialog ues , ▁also ▁influenced ▁by ▁Arab ▁philosophy ▁and ▁the ▁Eth iop ian ▁discuss ions . ▁ ▁Z era ▁Y ac ob ' s ▁In qu iry ▁goes ▁further ▁than ▁these ▁former ▁texts , ▁as ▁he ▁arg ues ▁in ▁following ▁one ' s ▁natural ▁reasoning ▁instead ▁of ▁bel ieving ▁what ▁one ▁is ▁told ▁by ▁others . ▁He ▁was ▁a ▁contemporary ▁of