An Enlightenment Thinker in the Early Republican Period: Ahmet Ağaoğlu

Abstract

This study focuses on Ahmet Ağaoğlu’s ideas shaped by his conception of Westernism. This focus has been chosen because, unlike his other ideological inclinations such as nationalism, Jadidism, and Iranism—which he supported in a more contextual and temporal manner—Westernism remained a consistent and unwavering element of his intellectual outlook throughout his life. For Ağaoğlu, Westernism represented a comprehensive system of thought that prioritized individual development and was fundamentally grounded in freedom of thought and expression. According to him, the West emerged as a developed and advanced civilization precisely because it upheld these values, whereas the East remained stagnant and underdeveloped due to its suppression of individual autonomy and its preference for dogmatism and authoritarianism over liberty. In this context, Ağaoğlu viewed the East—what he considered a defeated civilization—as one that must emulate the West in every aspect. Although his proposed solution remains open to critical discussion, the study concludes that Ağaoğlu’s persistent emphasis on democracy and freedom—especially during a period when authoritarian regimes were gaining prominence both domestically and internationally, and liberal economic principles were being widely abandoned—renders his ideas still relevant and significant in contemporary discourse.