[FIRST MUSLIM/TURKISH OBJECTIONS TO DARWINISM / HISTORY OF IDEAS] Maddiyûn [sic. Maddiyyûn-Madyûn] mezhebinin izmihlâli. Maddiyun mezhebiyle monizm ve felsefe-i müsbite mezheblerinin kesfiyât-i fenniye ve muhakemât-i akliye ile red ve ibtali

[ERTUGRUL], ISMAIL FENNI (1855-1946).

Orhaniye Matbaasi, Istanbul, 1928.

Original pinkish wrappers. Roy. 8vo. (24 x 17 cm). In Ottoman script (Old Turkish with Arabic letters). 734, [2], [1] p., index. Age toning on pages and covers with foxing, a modern piece of paper was added to weak extremities of rear cover, repaired spine. Overall, a fair/good copy.

Extremely rare first edition of this first Muslim/Turkish objections to Darwinism and the theory of evolution in a book.

The Scopes trial (1925) fuelled discussion in the United States on the social and political implications of Darwinism. For the defenders of the 1925 Tennessee law - which prohibited the teaching of Darwinism in schools - Darwinism was, amongst other things, responsible for the German militarism that eventually led to the First World War. This view was supported by Ismail Fennî, a late Ottoman intellectual, who authored this book immediately after the trial which aimed to debunk scientific materialism. In his book, he claimed that Darwinism blurred the distinction between man and beast and thus destroyed the foundations of morality. However, despite his anti-Darwinist stance, Ismail Fennî argued against laws forbidding the teaching of Darwinism in schools and emphasized that even false theories contributed to scientific improvement. Indeed, because he believed in science, he claimed that Muslims should not reject Darwinism if it were supported by future scientific evidence. It is composed of 7+1 chapters to criticize the materialist and positivist philosophical movements and especially the work of the positivist German philosopher Ludwig Bücher 'Kraft und Stoff'. 

The first part of the book focuses on the evidence presented of the proof of God in the Western and Islamic philosophies. In the second chapter, the issue of immortality of soul and spirit is addressed. In the third chapter, 'the wahdat al-wujud' (vahdet-i vücûd) current is examined. The fourth chapter examined some famous scholars' thoughts about the matter, materialism, laws of nature, etc. In the fifth chapter, the work of the positivist German philosopher Büchner 'Kraft und Stoff', in the sixth chapter, monism (monism), and in the seventh chapter, positivism is criticized. In the last chapter of the work, there are descriptions and thoughts on the theory of evolution and the Indian fakirs (fakers). 

Ismail Fenni Ertugrul was a Turkish mystic, philosopher, writer, musician, lyricist, and composer. He studied traditional madrasah education and learned Arabic and Persian. He was in various state posts. After retirement, he began to be interested in poetry, music, and philosophy. Before his death, he donated his library including 9050 books to the Library of Beyazit. (Source: An Ottoman response to Darwinism: Ismail Fennî on Islam and evolution, Bilgili). 

Özege 11879., Alper 195., As of May 2024, OCLC reveals seven copies worldwide (1425260467, 13726547), and four copies are in North American libraries (UCLA x2, Cornell & Princeton Libraries).