Some remarks on the culture of philosophy during the republican era in Turkey

Every way of thinking, every cognitive act, objectifies Being for different aims. The activities in objectifications are realized in different ways and assembled in the course of time under common names such as art, philosophy, Science and so on. In this discourse about philosophy, two essential questions are raised: 1- What are the distinctive qualities of philosophy as a way of thinking and knowing? 2- What is the relationship of philosophy with the other ways of thinking and knowing? To answer these questions is to limit or trace the limits of philosophy. What should be emphasized here is that philosophy, by its nature, is a limiting activity. Philosophy is an activity that examines the relationship between the external world, the mental world, and the linguistic world, taking the concept of “limit” as a criterion. Philosophy deals with the conditions of limiting every kind of Being within the mental and linguistic context. Therefore, we are expected to specify the distinctive features of philosophy as a way of thinking and knowing in addition to this basic feature: - As an element of culture, philosophy intends to draw limits both on the entities and itself. - Philosophy tends to limit itself as a synchronic and diachronic activity. - As philosophy utilizes other ways of thinking and knowing, it also contributes to them.