Existential categories in the works of kazakh thinkers

Abstract

The article analyzes existential categories in the works of Kazakh thinkers, which reveal the specifics of thephilosophical understanding of human existence within the context of the national spiritual tradition. The aimof the study is to demonstrate that the philosophy of Kazakh thinkers reflects not only the historical and cul-tural features of nomadic and Islamic civilizations, but also forms universal guidelines for comprehendinghuman existence in the context of modern existential crises. In this regard, the ideas of Korkyt Ata, Al-Farabi,Ahmed Yassawi, Yusuf Balasagun, Abai Kunanbayuly and Shakarim Kudaiberdyuly are examined, focusingon the problems of human existence, the search for the meaning of life, freedom and choice, human responsi-bility for one’s own being, as well as the categories of conscience, honor, and destiny. It is examined that inthe legacy of Korkyt Ata, the motif of overcoming the fear of death and striving for eternity through art holdsspecial significance; in al-Farabi’s philosophy, the concept of the virtuous city and harmony among its inhab-itants is emphasized as a condition of authentic being; in Ahmad Yassawi’s Sufi philosophy, the ideas of thespiritual path (tariqat) and inner purification are central; while in Yusuf Balasagun’s poem Kutadgu Bilig,such existential categories as justice, virtue, and the purpose of human life are identified and given a phenom-enological interpretation. The methodological framework of the study consists of hermeneutic analysis oftexts, the comparative-historical method, and the phenomenological approach. These methods make it possi-ble to identify both the universal nature of existential categories and their national specificity. Comparisonwith the ideas of European existentialism makes it possible to reveal the universal and uniquely Kazakh con-tent of these categories.