Love ethics as a special field in Hilmi Ziya Ülken

The purpose of this study is to comprehensively examine Hilmi Ziya Ülken's philosophy and moral understanding with a systematic framework, focusing on the elements, concepts, and moral perspective of "Love Ethics". Ethics has been a philosophical problem that has been interested in by every nation and nearly every thinker. Hilmi Ziya Ülken, one of the important philosophers in the history of Turkish thought, has also been interested in ethics, has criticized some of the ethical concepts accepted in previous periods and not only criticized but also proposed his own ethical understanding. According to Ülken, anyone who desires, driven by an inner emotion, can reach Love Ethics by passing through various stages. A person is initially at the stage of Community, and at this stage, actions are driven by a compulsory morality rooted in fear. At the second stage, a person is at the stage of Citizen where they will act with Hope Ethics for a more livable ideal. At the third stage, a person is at the stage of Patriot. At this stage, moral actions are based on pride, aiming to be elevated by the society they live in and be proud of it. The final and most important stage is the stage of Humanitarian Patriot. At this stage, a person performs actions with the emotion of love, which is an innate emotion, and the morality of Humanitarian Patriot is Love Ethics. With Love Ethics, a person will conduct their actions based solely on an innate emotion, independently of any purpose. And this will ensure the continuity of ethical actions for individuals.