Economic Justice as Foundational Social Contract

Yacob developed philosophy during the Enlightenment yet preceded and likely influenced European social contract theorists. His framework suggests legitimate governance requires agreement from all affected parties. Nations built on stolen wealth lack genuine social contracts with those whose labor was appropriated. Reparations become not generosity but requirement for legitimacy. A government claiming authority over populations whose ancestors were enslaved or colonized within its borders has never actually secured consent from those harmed. Economic justice—through reparations—must precede claims to legitimate authority. Yacob's rationalism suggests that stable, just societies require acknowledging this debt. Without reparative justice, the social contract remains fraudulent for those harmed. True governance emerges only when historical economic wrongs are addressed and consent is authentically reconstructed.