Hilmi Ziya Ülken

Philosopher (b. 5 October 1901, İstanbul – d. 5 June 1974, İstanbul). He attended the Progress Primary and Elementary School and graduated from İstanbul High School (1918) and Mülkiye Mektebi (School of Political Sciences) in 1921. He was appointed to İstanbul University, Faculty of Literature, Department of Geography as an assistant in 1921. He gained certificates from the History of Philosophy, Moral and Sociology courses (1923) while he was in this post. After he worked as a teacher at high schools in Bursa and Ankara, he served as a director at the Statistics Branch of the Ministry of Education (1925) and he was appointed to the Translation Instruction Office and the Training Committee (1926). He worked as a teacher of philosophy and history at high schools in İstanbul after he completed his military service. He was appointed to İstanbul University, Faculty of Literature as an associate professor of the History of Turkish Philosophy (1935) after the university reforms (1933). He became a professor (1941) and distinguished professor (1957). He started to direct the Department of Sociology in 1942. In addition to his post at this faculty, he started to give lectures of Art History at İstanbul Technical University between 1944 and 1948. He started to give lectures of philosophy at Ankara University, Faculty of Divinity beginning in 1955. He was assigned to Ankara in 1960 while the Committee of the National Union expelled 147 professors. He left his office at the Faculty of Divinity in 1973. He could not recover from cardio and neurological health problems and died in 1974. He is buried in Rumelihisarı Cemetery.

His writing career started with his poetry book Çocuk Dünyası (Children’s World, 1912). His articles were published in the review Mihrab (1922) that he published with Sudi Agâh Mazlum, Anadolu, Külür Haftası, İnsan that he also published (1938-41, 25 issues, with C. Ezine), Dergâh, Her Ay, Tan, Muallimler Birliği Mecmuası, Türk Yurdu, Galatasaray, Mülkiye, Yeni İnsanlık and Türk Düşüncesi. He published the review Felsefe ve İçtimaiyat Mecmuası (1927-29, 16 issues) with the support of Agâh Sırrı Levend and Sosyoloji Dergisi until 1960 while he was at the Department of Sociology. He established the Philosophy Society in 1928. He gave communiqués at various congresses that took place in cities such as Paris, Bucharest, Rome, Oslo, New Delhi, Damascus, Amsterdam, Zagreb, Sevres, Baghdad, Vienna, Strasbourg and Varna. He went to Germany, Austria and England to do research.

WORKS:

ESSAY: Aşk Ahlâkı (Morality of Love, 1931, new edition, 2004), İnsani Vatanperverlik (Humanist Patriotism, 1933), Şeytanla Konuşmalar (Conversations with the Devil, 1942).

NOVEL: Posta Yolu (The Post Road, 1941), Yarım Adam (Half Man, 1942).

RESEARCH: Metafizik (Metaphysics, 1928), Umumî Ruhiyat (General Psychology, 1928), Felsefe Dersleri (Philosophy Courses, 1928), Türk Tefekkür Tarihi (History of Turkish Philosophy, in 2 volumes, 1932), Yirminci Asır Filozofları (Twentieth Century Philosophers, 1934), Türk Feylesofları Antolojisi I (Anthology of Turkish Philosophers I, 1935), Uyanış Devirlerinde Tercümenin Rolü (The Role of Translation in Awakening Eras, 1935), Türk Mistisizmini Tetkike Giriş (Introduction to the Analysis of Turkish Mysticism, 1935), Felsefe Yıllığı 1931-1932 (Philosophy Almanac 1931-32, 1935), Felsefe Yıllığı 1934-35 (Philosophy Almanac 1934-35, 1936), Yirminci Asır Filozofları (Twentieth Century Philosophers, 1936), İlliyet Meselesi ve Diyalektik (Causality Problem and Dialectic, 1938), Ziya Gökâlp (Ziya Gökalp, 1939), Farabi (Farabi, 1940), Türk Tarihinde Mezhep Cereyanları (Sect Movements in Turkish History, 1940), İçtimai Doktrinler Tarihi (History of Social Doctrines, 1941), İbn-i Haldun (Ibn-i Haldun, 1941), Mantık Tarihi (History of Logic, 1942), Resim ve Cemiyet (Painting and Sociology, 1942), Dinî Sosyoloji (Religious Sociology, 1943), Sosyoloji (Sociology, 1943), Yahudi Meselesi (The Jewish Problem, 1944), Milletlerin Uyanışı (Awakening of the Nations, 1945), İslâm Düşüncesi (Islamic Thought, 1946), Ahlâk (Ethics, 1946), İslâm Medeniyetinde Tercümeler ve Tesirleri (Translations in Islamic Civilizations and Their Effects, 1947), Sosyolojiye Giriş (Introduction to Sociology, 1948), Millet ve Tarih Şuuru (The Consciousness of Nation and History, 1948), İslâm Sanatı (Islamic Art, 1948), İbn Rüşd (İbn Rüşd, 1951), İbn Sinâ (İbn Sina, 1951), Rubaîyyat-ı Melûl (Quatrains of Weariness, 1951), Tarihî Maddeciliğe Reddiye (Denial of Historical Materialism, 1951), İslâm Düşüncesine Giriş (Introduction to Islamic Thought, 1954), Sosyolojinin Problemleri (Problems of Sociology, 1955), Dünyada ve Türkiye’de Sosyoloji Öğretimi ve Araştırmaları (Sociology Education and Research in the World and Turkey, 1956), İslâm Düşüncesi II (Islamic Thought II, 1957), Veraset ve Cemiyet (Inheritance and Society, 1957), Felsefeye Giriş 2 (Introduction to Philosophy 2, 1957), İslâm Felsefesi Tarihi (History of Islamic Philosophy, 1957), Sosyoloji Sözlüğü (Dictionary of Sociology, 1959), Siyasî Partiler ve Sosyalizm (Political Parties and Socialism, 1963), Bilgi ve Değer (Knowledge and Value, 1965), Değerler, Kültür ve Sanat (Values, Culture and Art, 1965), Türkiye'de Çağdaş Düşünce Tarihi (History of Modern Thought in Turkey, 2 volumes, 1966; in one volume, 1979), İslâm Felsefesi Kaynakları ve Tesirleri (Origins of Islamic Philosophy and Its Effects, 1967), Varlık ve Oluş (Being and Existence, 1968), İlim Felsefesi (Philosophy of Science, 1969), Toplum Yapısı ve Soyaçekme (Social Structure and Heredity, 1971), Genel Felsefe Dersleri (General Philosophy Courses, 1972).

His translations were also published.