The concept of human and society in east and west according to Alev Alatlı

The last century is known as the century of crises. While these crises have led to prosperity in some societies, in others they have led to a collapse. Alev Alatlı is one of the names who regard this state of collapse as a kind of alienation and attempt to propose a solution to this alienation in society. The aim of this thesis is to investigate Alatlı's findings on the transformation of Turkish society in the face of these crises and to propose solutions. Also in this study, Alatlı's ideas on the subject are exhibited by focussing on the meaning she attributes to the concept of human being. According to Alatlı, the question of the position and value of human beings is the most important factor that separates the East and the West. According to Alatlı, the human being, whom the West calls modern, is the human being who is alienated from his own nature and does not receive the value she deserves. With the values of the Western world of thought, it is not possible for human being to recognise himself and live in accordance with the purpose of his existence. According to Alatlı, Eastern societies, on the other hand, have values that will enable people to recognise themselves and she argues that the kind of alienation that occurs in the West will not be experienced in Eastern societies. In the first chapter of the thesis, the concepts in Alatlı's world of thought were examined in order to understand Alatlı's view of humanity on the axis of the East-West distinction. In the second chapter, in order to understand what Alatlı means by the West, the main titles that he claims that the West represents were discussed. In the third chapter, what the East corresponds to in Alatlı's thought was investigated. In this way, the contexts of the value attributed to human being in the East and what the human being represents were emphasised. Considering Alatlı's claim to offer solutions to the problems of Turkish society through the values of the East, it is clear that the validity of her views on Western and Eastern societies should be examined. For this reason, the concluding chapter of the thesis evaluates both the consistency of Alatlı's views on the East and the West and whether a universally valid understanding of human beings can be deduced from these views.