Abstract

This study examines Abay's concept of the «complete person» from a new perspective, based on issues that have not been sufficiently addressed before. While previous research has mostly considered the concept of the «complete person» as an abstract concept with metaphysical characteristics, this article focuses on its historical aspects as well as its metaphysical dimension. Accordingly, philosophical analyses are conducted by first considering the concrete and direct meanings of the concepts before their metaphysical meanings. Furthermore, the characteristics and fundamental principles of the forms of knowledge and thought that shape the meaning of these concepts are determined; and their differences and similarities are examined comparatively. In line with these analyses, the foundations upon which Abay's worldview is formed and the ways in which it differs from metaphysical and positivist worldviews are comprehensively evaluated. As a result, on the one hand, the worldview upon which Abay's proposed path is based is revealed, and on the other hand, the conception of the «complete man» in his thought is made more distinct. The study specifically demonstrates that the «complete man» does not refer, as commonly thought, to a «finished», «perfected» or, in other words, a person who has achieved a specific goal; rather, it represents a person who is constantly searching, «unfulfilled», «empty», and continuously on a journey. Thus, the reader sees that Abay's understanding of the «complete man» differs significantly from both the «perfect man» (kāmil insān) concept in metaphysical thought and the «educated individual» model emphasized by the positivist approach.

Key words: Abai, Complete person, Kamil Insan, Worldview, Metaphysics, Positivism; World, Perspective