Scholar and writer (b. 1909, İstanbul –d. 10 July 1975). He attended
Bezm-i Alem Valide Sultan Primary School, Büyük Reşit Paşa Numune School, Vefa
High School and graduated from İstanbul High School. On passing the exam for
education abroad, he went to France in 1928. While he was in France he spent
his time with Remzi Oğuz Arık and Ziyaettin Fahri Fındıkoğlu. He became a
member of the Sociology Association and wrote philosophical articles for the
publication of this association. He met Moris Blondel and Luis Masignon who
were famous writers and took lessons in philosophy, ethics, psychology, art
philosophy, history, logic, sociology and archeology in Strasbourg. Completing
his PhD on philosophy at the Sorbonne, he became the first Turkish student at
this university to do so (1934).
After coming back to Turkey, he worked as a philosophy teacher at
Galatasaray High School (1935). Then he worked as a teacher at İzmir Atatürk
High School and İstanbul Haydarpaşa High School for Boys. He gave lessons on
the history of religions and philosophy at Imam-Hatip School and history at
Robert College. He retired in 1974 while he was working at İstanbul High School
for Boys. He completed his associate doctorate thesis on Bergson at İstanbul
University, but as there wasn’t a need for staff at the time he didn’t stay at
the university.
He was influenced by the theologians Nakşi Şeyh Hasip and Abdülaziz
Efendi and he became a follower of Abdülaziz Bekkine. He received help from
Celaleddin Ökten with Islamic sciences. He continued some parts of his ideational
and cultural studies at the Turkish Culture Guild, the Turkish Nationalist
Association, the Nationalist Association and the Initiative Association of
Anatolia whose foundations he contributed to. He married the daughter of
Hüseyin Avni Ulaş who was a friend of his father and then divorced. He
published the magazine Hareket in İzmir. He left his wife and was exiled
to Denizli because of his essay Çalgıcılar (Musicians) that had been
published in the magazine. There he met Said-i Nursi who had been sentenced by
a court judgment. Topçu, who established a school with his works and
publications, is buried at Kozlu graveyard in Topkapı, İstanbul.
WORKS:
ESSAY-RESEARCH: Confeormisme et Revolte
(PhD thesis, Paris, 1934; translated as İsyan
Ahlâkı, Ethics of Rebellion), 1995), Garbın
İlim Zihniyeti ve Ahlâk Görüşü (Mentality of Science and the Opinion of
Morality of the West, 1955), Mehmet Akif
(Mehmet Akif, with Ali Nihat Tarhan, 1957), Şehid
(Martyr, 1959), Garbın İlim Zihniyeti ve
Ahlâk Görüşü (Mentality of Science and the Opinion of Morality of the West,
1959), Taşralı (Countryman, Stories,
1959), Kominizme Karşı Yeni Nizam
(The New Order Against Communism, 1960), Türkiye’nin
Maarif Davası (The Problem of Education in Turkey, 1960), Ahlâk Nizamı (Order of Morality, 1961), Yarınki Türkiye (Turkey in The Future,
1961), Büyük Fetih (The Great
Conquest, 1962), Varolmak (Existence,
1965), Varoluş Felsefesi (Philosophy
of Existentialism, translated from P. Foulquie, 1967), Bergson (Bergson, 1968), İradenin
Davası (The Problem of the Will, 1968), Devlet
ve Demokrasi (State and Democracy, 1969), İslâm ve İnsan (Islam and Man, 1969), Kültür ve Medeniyet (Culture and Civilization, 1970), Mehmet Akif (Mehmet Akif, 1970), Mevlânâ ve Tasavvuf (Mevlana and
Theosophy, 1974), Milliyetçiliğimizin
Esasları (Principles of Our Nationalism, 1978), Millet Mistikleri (National Mystics, pub. and prep. by Ezel
Erverdi- İsmail Kara. Sentimental and Literary essays written by Nurettin Topçu
after the deaths of people who were well known and much appreciated, 2001.)
TEXT BOOK: Psikoloji (Psychology, 1949), Sosyoloji (Sociology, 1952), Felsefe (Philosophy, 1952), Mantık (Logic, 1952), Ahlâk (Ethics, 1975).
New editions of his works were prepared by Ezel Erverdi and İsmail Kara in the series of Bütün Eserleri (All Works) and published by Dergah Publications.
A NEWPROPOSAL OF
MORALITY
DETAILED
INFORMATION THAT CANNOT BE SEEN İN OTHER VVORKS ON TOPÇU'S CHİLDHOOD AND
UNİVERSİTY YEARS AND YEARS SPENT İN FRANCE IS GIVEN İN THİS BOOK.
EMİN IŞIK /
NURETTİN TOPÇU - Çağdaş Bir Dervişin Dünyası
ÖMER YALÇİNOVA
Nurettin
Topçu -Çağdaş Bir Dervişin Dünyası- (The World of a Modern Dervish) (Dergâh
Publications, 2019) presents different characteristics from the other boofes
written on Nurettin Topçu (for instance Kök’s Philosophy ofReligion in Nurettin
Topçu). We see three different formats in his books: narrative, memoir,
anddialog. Topçu’syears of childhood and university are told by the narration
method. Later, it is srvitched to the memoir style. The dialog method dominates
the last pages.
Emin
Işık is one of the ciose students of Topçu. Emin Işık did not only listen to
him in the classroom. He went to his house, attended his conferences,
accompanied his long vıalks; he had been in the Hareket magazine (Movement) and
was perhaps one of the first readers of his books. When reading the book, we
feel that we are receiving information from a sound source. Probably the person
ıvho conveyed this information to Emin Işık was the Topçu himseîf. Or, how
tvoııld we he avare of the gentleness and rigor of the nurse who prepared
linden tea for him regularly every evening after dinner ıvhile he was studying
at Aix? Detailed information that cannot be seen in other works on Topçu's
childhood and university years and years spent in France is given in this book.
The previous Topçu studies are mostly academic. They are focused on his
"morality", "rebellion", and "movement"
philosophies. His life, hoıvever, was briefly mentioned. Işık, vrithout
undermining his moral attitude, his adopted and developed philosophy, has
focused on his life. The most obvious characteristic of Topçu is that his life
and his work confirm each other. We can also say that they didn 't believe. We
can also say nothing that he did not believe or experience, or rather, did not
practice in his life: this is the point that Işık ıvants to emphasize in The
World of a Modem Dervişti. That is ıvhy Işık ’s biographical work is a bridge
that is built toıvards Topçu ’s books. Especially for theyoımggeneration
readers. The important thing is to read Topçu 's books. Işık has targeted it
throughout his book. In other yvords, he tried to mite a book on Topçu 's
books. He achieves that. While reading the book, we become curious abov.t İsyan
Ahlakı (The Revolt Morality), ıvritten at the University of the Sorbonne,
Bergson, ıvhich was ıvritten as a doctorate thesis, Ahlak Nizamı (The Order of
Morality), which ıvas later published entirely out of social responsibility,
and Yarınki Türkiye (Tomomnv's Tıırkey). Readers also want to read them agahı
in accordance ıvith the information given by Işık: For those vtho did not read.
any at ali, the books of Topçu become a treasure ıvaiting to be discovered.
Topçu ’s personality and books is a nen-’ proposal for Tıırkey. This feature is
stili protected. His student years, academic studies, him being a tinker and a
teacher, his nationalism, his passion for Anatolia, points he made, his
attitude, his ıvill, his perspective toıvards the events, his way of dealing
ıvith issues, his philosophical and sociological determinations are stili
important and differeııt. This difference is ahvays öpen to assessments. Since
he is a versatile philosopher and ıvriter, not only academics or philosophers
but also literarv figures, sociologists, psychologists, assembly managers, and
politicians can benefit from Topçu.
KAYNAK:
Ömer Yalçınova / Yeni Bir Ahlak Teklifi (Railife, Haziran 2019).
