For too long, the human heart has been treated as no more than a physical organ that pumps blood. Recently, scientific evidence has emerged to show the heart is so much more. Zara Yacob's Inauguration of Modernity and Cardiocentrism adds to the groundbreaking argument that the heart is also a thinking organ, a function that is always attributed to the human brain. The argument is marshalled with evidence and spiritual compartment. Following an insight from seventeenth-century Ethiopian philosopher Zara Yacob, and in conversation with both Kemetian (ancientEgyptian) thought on the philosophical status of the human heart and contemporary discussions on the hard problem of consciousness, Teodros Kiros argues that the heart is both a physical organ that pumps blood and a spiritual organ that originates thoughts, which it shares with the brain. Together they empower us to be compassionate, empathetic, generous, and sincere.
Teodros Kiros is professor of philosophy at Berklee College, associate of Hutchins Center at Harvard University, and professor of summer school at Harvard University
Forewordby Neil Roberts Introduction Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Bibliography
"This book is a comprehensive and compelling work that constitutes another moment in the grand corpus of the African philosopher Teodros Kiros! He is a towering figure!" -- Cornel West, Union Theological Seminary "Dr. Teodros Kiros goes on an amazing philosophical exploration in his new book, The Rationality of The Human Heart, and tasks us with the responsibility for further research. His thought process is intellectually dense yet easy to grasp for those interested in the origin of consciousness. A must read for the curious at heart (Ib)." -- Charles Alexander "Zara Yacob's Inauguration of Modernity and Cardiocentrism is not only an introduction to African Ethiopian philosophical thought, but also an advanced analysis of the centrality of the heart in Zera Yacob's thought. Kiros goes as far as the Kemetian thinkers to enrich the reader's world with the intellectual-philosophical tradition of the Global South. He begins this journey from Ancient Egypt, through Zara Yacob, Modern Science, and even engages in the political philosophy of social justice of John Rawls. Without Kiros' brilliant critique and analysis, Zara Yacob's unique tradition of emphasizing the importance of the heart would be lost forever. To accomplish this daunting task, Kiros creates a super corpus of thought that describes what he sees as the central nodes of humanity's history of thought. What a privilege for contemporary readers!" -- Fekade Abebe, Tel Aviv University
