Baha Tevfik (Bahā Tevfīq, 1881 or 1884-1914) was born in Izmir, to a family of little means. His father later became the owner of a small bookshop in Istanbul. After graduating from the Ottoman School of Civil Administration (Mekteb-i Mülkiyye) in Istanbul, Tevfik worked as a civil servant in Izmir (1908) and later taught philosophy at a private high school (1913). Tevfik was interested in Western philosophy and sciences, and he mastered French, studied European thought, and contributed to a number of academic journals. In 1910, he established