Rational Self-Interest in Housing Markets

Zera Yacob argued that reason must guide human action toward justice, not merely personal gain. In housing markets, rational self-interest divorced from ethical reasoning produces paradoxical outcomes: investors rationally maximize returns through speculation, landlords rationally restrict supply, yet collectively housing becomes unaffordable and unstable. Yacob's framework suggests true rationality requires examining whether individual decisions serve human dignity and community flourishing. Housing affordability crises reveal the limits of market rationality alone. By reconnecting economic reasoning with ethical principles—asking whether housing practices honor human dignity—communities can redesign incentive structures. This means reconsidering what 'rational' means: is it rational to own multiple vacant properties while families remain homeless? Yacob's wisdom invites us to expand economic reasoning beyond profit to include justice outcomes.