Searching for Oneself (Book)

Kendini Aramak is an essay book by Ihsan Fazlıoğlu that offers a profound philosophical examination of humanity’s challenges in the 21st century. First published in 2014 by Papersense Yayınları, it was reissued in 2020 by Ketebe Yayınları. The book consists of a total of 184 pages and is presented in the Turkish language.

Kendini Aramak explores an inner journey centered on the existential questions of the individual. In the work, the author examines the human life process—beginning with the self and ending with the self—within the transient realm between origin and end, framing this inquiry around the questions of “being oneself,” “remaining oneself,” and “dying as oneself.” The book addresses the human quest for selfhood, the relationship between the individual and knowledge, the impact of modern capitalist structures on the individual, and the roles of religion, philosophy, science, and art in the process of humanization. Guided by the approach that “to think is to be on a path,” Fazlıoğlu grounds the process of understanding human existence and investigates the possibility of being human around the concept of “Hz. İnsan.”

The book is composed of 42 independent chapters. These chapters bring together diverse disciplines such as religion, science, philosophy, and ethics to deeply examine the human process of self-recognition and self-understanding. In each essay, Fazlıoğlu approaches existential questions from different angles, encouraging readers to reflect and question.

Ihsan Fazlıoğlu completed his undergraduate studies in the Department of Philosophy at Istanbul University, followed by graduate and doctoral degrees in the Departments of History of Science and Philosophy at the same institution. He conducted research in the fields of history of science and mathematics at the University of Jordan and the Institute of Arabic History of Science, and carried out research activities at the University of Oklahoma and McGill University. He is currently a faculty member in the Department of Philosophy at Istanbul Medeniyet University. His academic background provides the theoretical foundation for the philosophical and scientific analyses presented in Kendini Aramak.

The book has been regarded by readers as a work that stimulates intellectual self-examination. In it, existential questions of the human being, the relationship between knowledge and the individual, and social positioning are brought to the forefront, aiming to cultivate in readers a critical perspective toward both themselves and their surroundings. In Fazlıoğlu’s writings, the necessity of balanced engagement with human emotion, thought, and conscience is emphasized; the text draws attention to the view that when equilibrium among these elements is not achieved, the integrity of the individual is compromised.