Philosopher, researcher-author. Born on
December 29th, 1950 in Ankara. He is the son of Prof. Dr. Kemal
Tahir Gürsoy, a former lecturer at Faculty of Law at Ankara University. He graduated
from Istanbul Hırka-i Şerîf Primary School (1962), Saint-Benoit Fransız Erkek
High School (1970), Rennes and Paris-Sorbonne Universities (1974),
respectively. As he returned to Turkey, he served as a soldier and started to
work at as an assistant at the Philosophy Department of Science and Literatures
Faculty of Atatürk University (1977). He completed his doctorate degree at the
same university in 1979. He was commissioned as a researcher at the Philosophy
Department of Paris Nanterre University (1981-82) in France. After he took his
assistant professor degree at Atatürk University (1982); he took his assistant
professor degree in fields of systematical philosophy and logic (1983). In
1984, he was assigned to as associate professor in the field of history and
geography at the Faculty of Languages at Ankara University. He became a
professor at the same university (1989) and then he became the head of the
department of philosophy there (1994). Later on, he served as the Head of Philosophy
Department of Faculty of Literature, the Principal of the Institute of Social
Sciences and the dean of the Literature Faculty at Galatasaray University
(1997). He also gave lectures at Sorbonne University (2003). Meanwhile, he
continued his studies as the lecturer of the Science and Literature Faculty and
Philosophy department at Galatasaray University. Between 2005 and 2009, he
hosted a TV program named “Düşünce İklimi” in a national TV channel, TRT
2. In 2009, he was assigned as the ambassador of Vatican.
He has worked on Turkish mysticism, existentialism,
phenomenology, ethics and comparative religious ethics and participated in many
seminaries, symposiums and conferences both in Turkey and abroad. He has endeavored to popularize the philosophical
attitude and thinking in Turkish
cultural life and the education
system. His articles were published in many local and foreign journals.
WORKS:
RESEARCHES: Traduction et Commentaire de
Maquamat al Awliya de Akşemsettin (1983), Jean Paul Sartre Ateizmi’nin
Doğurduğu Problemler (1987, 1991), Ekzistans ve Felsefe Üzerine Görüşler
(1988), Maurice Merleau-Ponty’de İdrak Problemine Giriş (1993), Yabancıların
Gözüyle Türkler ve Türkiye (joint book, 1995), Bir Felsefe Geleneğimiz Var mı? (2006), Gönül Gözü (with Tuğrul İnançer, 2006), Bir Evrensel Projemiz Var mı? (2007), Etik ve Tasavvuf (2008).
TRANSLATIONS: Fenomenoloji ve İnsan Bilimleri (from M. Merleau-Ponty, 1983),
Fârâbî’de İniş ve Yükseliş: İkiye Ayrılan Bir Bağlantı Zinciri (from Yues
Marguet, 1990), Fârâbî’nin Erdemli Şehri ve Ümmet (from Roger Arnaldez,
1990).
COURSE BOOK: Felsefeye Giriş (Joint book, 1985).
REFERENCE: TDOE – TDE Ansiklopedisi 4
(2004), İhsan Işık / Resimli ve Metin Örnekli Türkiye Edebiyatçılar ve Kültür
Adamları Ansiklopedisi (2006, gen. 2. bas. 2007) - Ünlü Fikir ve Kültür
Adamları (Türkiye Ünlüleri Ansiklopedisi, C. 3, 2013) - Encyclopedia of
Turkey’s Famous People (2013).