Necessity, Curiosity and the Development of the Ottoman Empire
Progress is a definition or concept that can be transferred by relating it through a variety of different concepts or topics. Instead of associating this concept with general events in terms of its structure, I will convey it through some basic concepts such as curiosity and need.
Necessity
When we say needs, some basic needs products come to mind. Examples of these are various food, clothing, energy raw materials. When we bring this subject to geographical discoveries and the times before, it is possible to say that these products generally consist of various goods transported on the Silk Road or Spice Road.
At this point, “Why didn’t the Ottomans make geographical discoveries?” It is possible for us to seek an answer to the question. Of course, it is possible to examine the answer or explanation of this question under many headings as main and subheadings. But at this point, we will focus more on the relevant part: “Because the Ottomans did not need it.”. The Ottomans had many positive features such as having beautiful lands and ports in addition to being in suitable locations for the Silk Road and the Spice Road. Due to these and other similar reasons, it was not in need of any kind.
Despite all this, European states were also in need: they wanted to reach the riches of India and China without intermediaries. In addition, fortune would smile upon them, and the discovery of new continents would take place. Europe, which has already completed certain processes; He would have achieved many advances such as reaching the wealth of China and India, establishing giant trading companies in the east, taking the steps of the capitalist economy with the new world, establishing the triangular trade system, and we can say that he owed all this to a little bit of luck as well as a state of need.
Curiosity
It would not be wrong to say that curiosity, like need, is a force that pushes humanity to develop. Being curious and engaging in activities for this leads to many developments, be it individuals or institutions. One of the best examples we can give to this would be acquiring knowledge. The acquisition of knowledge is also possible by referring to various sources: the first of these will be the language/language that enables our verbal communication, and the other will be the writing we build on it. The development of written sources was largely due to the printing press. While the widespread use of the modern printing press was in the 15th century in Europe, it would only reach the 18th century in the Ottoman Empire.
At this point, the “Why didn’t the Ottomans use the printing house?” question is likely to arise. Of course, the Ottomans had access to this technology in the 15th century, as in the European states, and we can see this from the first examples. It is possible to refute the wrongs that are known to be true, as it is prevented by some sections, and we can learn this from various sources. The real “Ottomans had no interest in this matter.” will be a correct answer. During the Ottoman period, they did not demand various books, newspapers, and works on this subject. Naturally, despite the existence of this technology, it could not find a response in this region as there was no demand.
Despite all this, there was a demand situation in Europe, whether among the people, the bourgeois, or the nobles. In the early medieval periods, long before the advent of printing technology, various works such as gathering and duplicating works in various institutions or publishing a newspaper, or assuming to leave works were seen. With the advent of printing technology, we can see that various newspapers, books, and publications have increased. In addition, we can add situations such as the fact that the European society is an individualist society that is left alone or that it has taken on a relatively less obedient society structure, causing the European society to be curious.
If we look towards the end, we can see how effective the factors we call curiosity and need are in progress and development. Although the situations of curiosity or need may seem like bad situations, we can say that it has been an important factor that pushes people or societies towards progress. It is possible for us to reap the fruits of progress and development if we can keep ourselves on the right scale of curiosity and a need to prevent complacency.
References
Gurkan, E. S. (2020). Bunu Herkes Bilir: Tarihteki Yanlış Sorulara Doğru Cevaplar. Kronik Kitap.
