Hasan Tahsini - a scholar of both Orient and Occident

Abstract

Hasan Tahsin has been described as the man who loved to reveal the truth wherever it was, visible or not, easy or complicated, near or far away, among the stars of the limitless universe or in a drop of water, in the substance, humane society or thought. With his culture and knowledge he became symbol of knowledge in Istanbul, where he ran for a long time the Observatory or High Madrassa. During the twelve years that he lived in Paris, he learned French and studied exact sciences such as: Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Mathematics and Astronomy.

In the field of philosophical thought, he embraced the school of positivist philosophy. He got acquainted with the philosophy of Aristotle and further developed the idea that "In order that creation and anything initiates in the world, there should be a cause. Things that look for a cause are possible. A cause, which is possible being, should be caused by another previous being that looks for a primary cause which exists in itself and not by any other cause and this is God. Proceeding from the position of deism he formulated his own thought and found the unique relations between the nature's phenomena that source from God which is the source of everything. Dualism was his understanding in that in heaven, earth, society, human thought and conscience there exist two powers, two active drives, two beings, two opposite principles and substances and in conflict with each-other.

His work "The Cosmology" was written in the spirit of deism and philosophical dualism. Hasan Tahsin was the first Albanian who carried out authentic researches in the science of psychology by giving scientific explanation on the psychological processes, senses, perceptions, thinking, speech, memory, imagination, etc.

In his book "Murebbi-l-Etfal" (Children's Educator), he argues that the essential part of upbringing is the sure and scientific education and that the humane society will go ahead only through pure virtue and moral. The Universality of the scientific thought of Hasan Tahsin is expressed in his evaluation and enlightenment of spaces of spiritual processes that constitute a wide and immense field of study.