Bilimsel Devrim ve Türkiye
The Scientific Revolution and Turkey
Yazar: İnönü, Erdal
Dergi: Osmanlı Bilimi Araştırmaları, Vol. 5 No. 2, 2004
Anahtar kelimeler: Scientific Revolution,Turkey ; Bilimsel Devrim,Türkiye

The Scientific Revolution which took place in central and western Europe in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries is a much debated subject. Here I am  taking it up once more with the purpose of finding examples of the interaction  between  culture and scientific development  which appear in  three different  instances:1) How did the scientific revolution influence the cultural climate and  eventually the social and political evolution of western societies?2) A period of three hundred years has elapsed from the acceptance of research as the basis of scientific and technological development in the west in  the seventeenth century to arriving  at  a similar understanding in  Republican  Turkey in the twentieth century. What did the western societies learn about the relations  between scientific development  and social  applications  during this  time? What  did the Ottoman society lose by remaining aloof to the scientific  revolution all this time?3) Is  the meaning and importance of the scientific revolution well understood today in Turkey by the public in general and by politicians  and  bureaucrats in particular? The answer to the first question is  well known. Several writers  have pointed out the transformation of the intellectual climate brought about by the scientific revolution in Britain and France. The success  achieved  in the understanding of physical processes  by observation, experiment  and  mathematical formulation has  led to the emergence of a rational, cause­ searching approach in social sciences and philosophy, eventually to the dawn of the age of enlightenment, followed by the  industrial revolution and the formation of modern, secular democracies.As  to the second question, the  processes involved here are not  as  well known, but are of equal importance for understanding the relationship between  the development  of science and its practical implementations  and cultural  consequences in any society, in particular in Turkey.I give a negative answer to the third question, based  on a study of the science and history text­books  in high schools  and  a review of the public appreciation  of science. In short, scientific research is  considered to be a worthy endeavor as it brings international prestige to the country but not  as a pursuit which would increase the economic well being of the nation.Various  examples are given in the text to illustrate the answers given in  the three cases.

The Scientific Revolution which took place in central and western Europein the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries is a much debated subject. Here I am taking it up once more with the purpose of finding examples of the interaction between  culture and scientific development  which appear in  three different instances:1) How did the scientific revolution influence the cultural climate and eventually the social and political evolution of western societies?2) A period of three hundred years has elapsed from the acceptance ofresearch as the basis of scientific and technological development in the west in the seventeenth century to arriving  at  a similar understanding in  Republican Turkey in the twentieth century. What did the western societies learn about therelations  between scientific development  and social  applications  during this time? What  did the Ottoman society lose by remaining aloof to the scientific revolution all this time?3) Is  the meaning and importance of the scientific revolution wellunderstood today in Turkey by the public in general and by politicians  and bureaucrats in particular?The answer to the first question is  well known. Several writers  havepointed out the transformation of the intellectual climate brought about by thescientific revolution in Britain and France. The success  achieved  in theunderstanding of physical processes  by observation, experiment  and mathematical formulation has  led to the emergence of a rational, cause­ searching approach in social sciences and philosophy, eventually to the dawn ofthe age of enlightenment, followed by the  industrial revolution and theformation of modern, secular democracies.As  to the second question, the  processes involved here are not  as  wellknown, but are of equal importance for understanding the relationship between the development  of science and its practical implementations  and cultural consequences in any society, in particular in Turkey.I give a negative answer to the third question, based  on a study of thescience and history text­books  in high schools  and  a review of the publicappreciation  of science. In short, scientific research is  considered to be aworthy endeavor as it brings international prestige to the country but not  as apursuit which would increase the economic well being of the nation.Various  examples are given in the text to illustrate the answers given in the three cases.