Cemil Meriç and His Works in Turkish Thought
Cemil Meriç (1916-1987) was one the leading Turkish thinkers of modern era. Meriç was a profoundly original thinker who authored numerous books as well as translated many works to Turkish. He devoted his life to an unending quest for learning, teaching and thinking. Although he suffered from blindness in the last thirty two years of his life, he deeply influenced modern Turkish thought through his efforts of establishing a bridge between Western and Eastern thoughts. This study examines Cemil Meriç around five major points. Firstly, this article will try to examine the extraordinary life of Cemil Meriç, which definitely left its mark on his intellectual maturation. Secondly, an effort will be made to analyze the emotional world of Meriç through his writings. In the third part, we will try to look at Cemil Meriç's style of writing and his devotion to Turkish language visàvis the ever lasting debate of style and language in Turkish thought. The fourth part will focus on Meriç's world of thought while the last part will be on his place in Turkish sociology by examining the sociology lectures he gave in Istanbul University as well as his famous book on French thinker Saint Simon.
CENGİZ SUNAY
