Abstract:

The study aims to understand and explain the origins of the Epistemic Enlightenment in the West. Historical materialistic method was used in our research for this purpose. According to historical materialistic view, the social development of societies is mainly dependent on productive forces and production relations. Indeed, as a result of the development of the productive forces and the change of production relations, a revolutionary transformation occurs in the economy (infrastructure). This situation transforms superstructure institutions in the process. Briefly; it can be said that economic developments determine social developments and the social class that dominates society with changing social relations transforms the legal, political and epistemic structure. Therefore, episteme, which is a superstructure institution, is the result of changes in the infrastructure, in the final analysis. In addition, since a superstructure cannot be created without the establishment of infrastructure in a society, the superstructure will necessarily carry the characteristics of the infrastructure. As a result of the study, it was understood that Epistemic Enlightenment, which occurred in the West, was linked to social developments with economic developments took place on the basis.

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