Evidence for the existence of God in the works of Hilmi Ziya Ülken

From ancient times to the present day, the concept of existence has remained significant and is one of the three main topics of philosophy. In natural philosophy, the primary substance of everything is accepted as the first being, the first principle. This first principle has been sought within observable, existing things without stepping outside of nature. Philosophers such as Socrates (MÖ 469-399), Plato (MÖ 427-347), and Aristotle (MÖ 384-322) changed the course of the history of thought by seeking the first being outside of nature, elevating it to an abstract level. Later, with the spread of monotheistic religions, the concept of the first being was replaced by the concept of God figure in the development of philosophy in our country through his studies. His contributions include translations, books, articles, and the magazines he published. The main subject of this thesis is Hilmi Ziya Ülken's perspective on the proofs for the existence of God. In this context, a review will be conducted on his philosophical works, and the findings will be presented together with the thesis. Ülken, in proving the existence of God, prefers moral, religious experience, and aesthetic evidence over classical rational proofs. Although Ülken considers the demonstration of God's existence as an epistemological matter and approaches it as a matter of faith, his defenses of modern proofs bring a different dimension to this topic.