Ece Tekbulut

Political Philosopher and Founder

Dr. Ece Tekbulut is a political philosopher, cultural entrepreneur, and public intellectual. She earned her Ph.D. in Political Science from Columbia University, where her research examined democracy, risk, and emergency powers. She is the founder of Thinking Through, a New York–based philosophy salon that brings rigorous ideas into conversation with everyday experience. Through curated discussions on love, friendship, adulthood, money, cities, and AI, she creates spaces where thinking becomes a shared public practice. Her mission is to make serious thinking accessible beyond academia. She also serves as Executive Director of the Turkish American Orchestra, building cultural bridges through large-scale musical productions.

Since launching Thinking Through, Ece has built a rapidly growing intellectual community in New York City, hosting sold-out salons across diverse venues and cultivating a dedicated audience through digital platforms. What began as an experiment in public philosophy has evolved into a recognized forum for interdisciplinary dialogue, attracting entrepreneurs, designers, artists, and policy professionals. Her sessions are known for their structure, depth, and intellectual rigor, combining classical texts with contemporary cultural analysis.

In parallel, her leadership at the Turkish American Orchestra has expanded its visibility and ambition, organizing high-profile concerts that reinterpret Turkish music in symphonic form and position diaspora culture within major American venues. She oversees strategy, partnerships, fundraising, and communications, shaping the orchestra into both a cultural and diplomatic platform.