Modernleşme ve Ahlak: Tevfik Fikret ve Mehmet Akif Ersoy’un Gençlik Üzerine Farklı Yaklaşımları

This study compares Tevfik Fikret’s Haluk’s Notebook (Haluk’un Defteri) with Mehmet Akif Ersoy’s Asım, analyzing the differing approaches of two distinct worldviews to concepts such as youth, morality, and modernization. Tevfik Fikret elevates the Western understanding of science and progress, asserting that modernization can only be achieved by embracing the West. Haluk’s Notebook presents a secular and scientific youth model through the figure of a father who believes his son’s Western education will enlighten society. In contrast, Mehmet Akif Ersoy, in Asım, advocates for an ideal of youth that adopts only the science of the West while remaining faithful to Islamic ethics and national values. Both works reflect the societal transformation processes of their time, offering different perspectives on modernization and moral values. This article examines the intellectual debates and literary approaches of the era through the youth ideals presented by Tevfik Fikret and Mehmet Akif Ersoy. Keywords: Tevfik Fikret, Mehmet Akif Ersoy, Haluk’un Defteri, Asım, Youth ideal, Modernization, Westernization, Islamic ethics