Rational Self-Interest and Collective Healing

Zera Yacob's philosophy centers reason as the guide to truth and justice. Applied to reparations, rational self-interest transcends narrow individual gain to recognize that societies healing historical wounds create stable, prosperous futures for all. When wealth extracted through enslavement and colonization is acknowledged and redistributed, economies become more resilient and equitable. Yacob would argue that opposing reparations is economically irrational—a failure of reason itself. True rational actors recognize that unhealed historical injustices create ongoing social friction, reduced human capital, and systemic inefficiency. Reparations represent investment in collective flourishing, not charity. This framework challenges the false dichotomy between justice and economic pragmatism, showing they are one.