Eski ve Yeni Sosyolojide Nedenselliğin Anlamı ve Ziya Gökalp'te Büyük Adam Sorununa Yeniden Bakış

Sociological literature on Gokalp and his works in Turkey has paid little attention, if any, to the issue of great man in the making of history and society as compared to other issues such as culture, civilization and westernization on which Gokalp spent most of his intellectual energy. However, the issue of great man in sociology, in history as well, is so important an issue on the' ground that it shows limits of positivist paradigm based on the ontological premises of determinism with respect to society-individual relations. Because the basic premises held by a SOCiologist concerning the "society-individual" relations indicates' the paradigmatic umbrella which shapes his/her SOCiological approach and sets its limits. The purpose of this paper is to shed a light on how Goka/p explained and interpreted the issue of great man within the context of determinism as a paradigmatic principle with respect to its changing meaning in sociology. The issue will be examined within the context of subject-method -paradigm interrelations. Two interrelated purposes will be dealt: the first is to show how Gokalp 's powerfol analytical and interpretative mind forced the wcry of his intellectual enterprise over the narrow boundaries of shallow social world, as portrcryed by the positivist paradigm. The second purpose seems to be a subtle one: It will try to discuss the opinion that the development of sociology in Turkey will only be achieved through scientific critics and discussions by taking into account not only the knowledge and interpretations about the facts but also the very paradigm within which these knowledge and interpretations about the facts has been developed. Throughout the paper the basic ontological premises of positivist, phenomenological and holistic sociological paradigms concerning the nature of sociocultural reality will be examined in order to show how different ontological premises reflect on the premises about agency-structure relations. Then, by focusing on the tensions in Gokalp thought created by conflicts between the narrow boundaries of shallow positivist world view, which Gokalp's conviction is well known, and the roles of great men in the making of history and society, which occupied an equally important position his thought, Gokalp's theory on the emergence of great men as reformist and as inventor will be subjected to a critical investigation.