Abstract: Charles Sanders Peirce visited the Ottoman Empire between 26 August 1870 and 6 September 1870. He was a young researcher in his 30s when he came to Istanbul. He described to the Ottoman Empire his travel impressions in 4 letters.
However, Peirce did not interact academically in Istanbul or meet Turkish Scholars. In addition, Peircian pragmatism came to Türkiye fifty years after this trip. However, Peirce founded the philosophy of pragmatism, which was one of the most debated in Türkiye. On the other hand, Peirce’s approaches to semiotics will be discussed in academic circles in Türkiye after the millennium.
There are, of course, some reasons for this situation. In this process of establishing modern Turkey, the world adopted by the founding leaders, especially Atatürk and Ismet Inönü and Atatürk, also contains some clues about why Turkish intellectuals turned to pragmatism.
American pragmatism became essential in establishing modern Türkiye and transforming the educational system in the country. The pragmatism did not enter Türkiye by chance but was a functional result of the transformation of civilisation and perception in Türkiye.
