Namık Kemal’s Idea of Progress and Education

The last century of Ottoman history witnessed the discussion between Ottoman intellectuals about Turkish modernization. One of the foremost intellectuals is Namık Kemal being famous with the fame ‘nation and liberty’. He had an impact on century using the modern era concepts like nation, liberty, equality, popular sovereignty, parliamentary system. He was deal with all these concepts and values in the civilization circle. According to him, civilization is the common set of values that mankind reaches at science, practice, thought, law, industry and administration. The Western World being forward at civilization is powerful to lead other parts of world. The development of Ottoman which has a part on Europe was possible when the western civilization was realized and comprehended. The development means ‘to protect and reconstruct’ can start and continue only with education. This study deals with Kemal’s thought about development and education and comparison of person, society and government order between Ottoman and Western civilization. The Kemal’s thoughts in this study were evaluated making use of his essays in newspapers like İbret, Hürriyet, Hadika and Diogenes