The World of Yalçın Koç: An Anatomy of the Endeavor to Ground the Human

Abstract

Yalçın Koç's thought addresses the problems of existence, knowledge, and ethics within contemporary philosophy through a unique conceptual framework. His system is not merely a purely abstract theoretical effort, but rather an attempt to reconstruct human existence, identity, and truth through what he calls the 'Leaven of Anatolia'. Koç rejects the rational and externally grounded approaches of Western philosophy, seeking instead to establish an understanding of existence that is 'inward, heart-centered, unity-based, and rooted in Kalam'. This article argues that Koç’s endeavor to analyze the human, examined systematically through his works in the contexts of ontology, epistemology, ethics, and philosophy of language, represents both a radical critique of Western philosophy and theology and a proposal for an indigenous alternative mode of thought.