Although Anatolia was one of the most developed regions of the world in terms of philosophy and science in ancient times, Türkiye is one of the most underdeveloped countries in the world in terms of philosophy.
The first major break in the process of turning from myth to reasoning in ancient times took place in Miletus in Anatolia. Natural philosophers such as Thales, Anaximander and Anaximenes explained the universe and nature in the context of the basic source and essence of the universe, not with supernatural powers, but within the boundaries of nature.
Leucippos, one of the pioneers of the atomic theory, was also from Miletus.
It was Anaxagoras Clazomenae who first initiated philosophical and scientific studies in Athens and argued that everything in the universe is interconnected.
Heraclitus, the pioneer of transformational theory, was from Ephesus.
Mathematician Pythagoras, Epicurus, the pioneer of the empiricist movement, and Aristarchus, the astronomer who first put forward the heliocentric theory, were from Samos, an island off the coast of Anatolia. Epicurus also lived in Lampsakos for a period.
Hippocrates, the founder of modern medical science, was from Kos, an island off the coast of Anatolia.
Herodotus, the founder of modern history, was from Halicarnassus.
Diogenes, one of the pioneers of the Cynic movement, was from Sinope.
Cleanthes, one of the pioneers of the Stoic movement, is from Assos and Krisippus is from Solici.
Eudoksos, one of the most important astronomers of the period, was from Knidos.
Aristotle, one of the most important philosophers in the history of philosophy, lived in Assos for a while.
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During the Byzantine Empire and the Ottoman Empire, philosophy and science collapsed in Anatolia due to the blow of theocracy. Religious superstitions, fallacies and dogmas have replaced the enlightenment of ancient times. in Byzantium and
In the Ottoman Empire, for approximately 1600 years, there was not a single philosopher or scientist who developed an original theory. After the monarchical, theocratic and feudal structure in the Ottoman Empire was destroyed by the revolutions led by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, a new opportunity arose for Anatolia, and at least a new infrastructure was developed in the field of philosophy during the Republic period.
People such as Takiyettin Mengüşoğlu, Nusret Hızır, Hilmi Ziya Ülken, Macit Gökberk are among the first philosophers who opened this door. Among the philosophers who followed them are philosophers such as Nermi Uygur and Bedia Akarsu. After them, philosophers such as Teo Grünberg, Afşar Timuçin, İoanna Kuçuradi, Arda Denkel, Uluğ Nutku, Doğan Özlem, Oruç Aruoba, Bilge Karasu continued to carry this torch.
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Last weekend, we lost Ioanna Kuçuradi, one of the philosophers who made the most important contribution to the development of philosophy in Turkey.
Ioanna Kuçuradi, who received the title of professor at the end of the 1970s, pioneered the establishment of Hacettepe University Department of Philosophy and the Turkish Philosophical Institution Association; educated thousands of students; Many of the students he trained became faculty members at universities; He ensured that the works of many important philosophers were translated into Turkish.
İoanna Kuçuradi contributed to the recognition of philosophy and major philosophers in Turkey with his own works, in this context, "Law Required by Justice", "Human Rights Concepts and Problems", "Ethics", "Schopenhauer and Human", "Nietzsche and Human", "Among the Events of the Age", "Looking at Art through Philosophy", "Philosophy of Peace", "Human and He wrote many books such as "Values", "Morality, Ethics and Ethics".
Ioanna Kuçuradi did not see philosophy as an abstract field disconnected from life; revealed the connections between philosophy and practical problems; that current problems can be solved with philosophy, not with superficial approaches; He often emphasized that problems related to life cannot be solved independently of values and the concepts and theories that convey these values; In this context, he underlined the importance of moral philosophy, also known as ethics.
