İyi bir yaşamın nasıl mümkün olabileceğinin erdemle açıklanması, erdemin insan yaşamındaki önemini göstermektedir. Dolayısıyla insan fenomenlerini konu alan felsefede geniş bir yer tutan erdem kavramı özellikle etik alanında önemli bir araştırma konusudur. Etiğin tarihi geçmişinde, etik sorunlara kararmayan bir ışık tutmuş olan Kant’ın etik görüşüne genel olarak bakıldığında, erdem kavramının pek ön planda olmadığı görülmektedir. Bununla birlikte, Kant’ın erdem ile ilgili söyledikleri, erdemin ahlak yasasından daha az önemli olmadığını göstermektedir. Bu çalışmanın amacı, Kant’ın erdem temelli bir etik kurmadığı için klasik (...) bir erdem etikçisi olmadığı veya etiğinde erdemin yerini ve önemini göstererek bir erdem etikçisi olduğu tartışmasının pek de anlamlı olmadığını göstermektir. Çünkü bu tartışma, Kant etiğini bir yere taşımaz. Bu amaç doğrultusunda, Kant’ı, bir erdem etikçisi olduğu ya da olmadığı tartışmasına sokarak kategorize etmeden, Kant etiğinde erdemin yeri ve önemini ortaya koymak amacıyla, Ahlak Metafiziği adlı eserinin _Erdem Öğretisi_ bölümünde yapılan erdem tanımlamaları ve açıklamaları ile “en yüksek iyi” (_summum bonum_) kavramı ve erdem ödevleri ele alınacaktır. (shrink)

Messianism is an integral component of Abrahamic faiths. Yet the emergence of the Messiah is counterbalanced by the Antichrist. Apocalyptic visions of the future in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam...

"In Balanuye's work the reader finds effective insights into the nature of the overblown tailless monkey politely called the human race. The fragments sometimes enunciated as a chastising bolt, but mostly as a comedic nudge. And with each we have to sit up and listen - and think. That is what we deserve, do we not?" - Hüseyin İçen, Turkish translator of The Picture of Dorian Gray "An admirably collage-like and astringent contribution to the tradition, which reaches back at least (...) to Heraclitus, of aphorism and epigram." - David Shields, Author of Reality Hunger Philosophers are generally expected to engage in the three pursuits together and meticulously for a sufficient amount of time: reading, thinking, and arguing for or against by writing or speaking. According to this approach, it is possible for everyone to practice a philosophical life. Because the said approach does not allow an "all or nothing" type of rigidity; some may be more involved in this pursuit, some less. In any case, there is a difference of degree rather than a difference of type. It should be kept in mind that in the definition put forward, reading, thinking and discussion are nonetheless necessary but not sufficient elements to be an original philosopher. Allocating a serious place to all three elements in her life does not guarantee an original philosopher. Authenticity is a gem we still don't know enough about. The book in your hand consists of fragments, the shortest of which is a sentence and the longest of which is a few paragraphs. I wanted these fragments to invoke longer readings, reflection practices, and perhaps discussions, triggered by shorter readings. CONTENTS A BITE TO REPLACE THE PROLOGUE CHAPTER I: REALITY CHAPTER II: ENCOUNTERS CHAPTER III: CONTEXT ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Balanuye is a Turkish continental European philosopher and academic. His book Where Does Spinoza's Joy Come From? [published in Turkish only] went through numerous editions and contributed to the adoption of Spinoza's teaching by outside readers as well as philosophers in Turkey. He currently teaches at the Department of Philosophy at Akdeniz University. (shrink)

Hüseyin Atay’ın akademik çabasının merkezinde, insanı, içine doğduğu geleneğin tahakkümüne karşı akıl ve Kur’an’a dayanarak özgürleştirme ve özgünleştirme amacı bulunmaktadır. Onun temel motivasyonunu, Müslümanların içinde bulunduğu mevcut durumdan rahatsız olması ve bu duruma bir çözüm üretme amacı oluşturmaktadır. O, bu çabasıyla mevcut Müslüman düşünce geleneğinin hak ve hakikat zeminine dayanıp dayanmadığını tahkik ve tespit etmeyi hedeflemektedir. Söz konusu tahkik sürecinin metodolojisini din ile kültür ayrımı oluşturmaktadır. Bu bağlamda Atay’ın halkın, ulemanın ve Kur’an’ın dini şeklinde yaptığı tasnif, geleneksel din anlayışları içerisinde (...) meşrulaşan yanlışların tespiti ve ayıklanmasına imkân sağlayacak niteliktedir. Ona göre Kur’an, akla, ilme, fıtrata, yaşamın farklı boyutlarında insanın karşılaşabileceği problemlere çözüm sunan bir din getirmektedir. Bu yapısıyla Kur’an, insanlara akıl ve fıtrat temelinde iradi davranışlarını şekillendirmesi için doğru-yanlış, maruf-münker, sevap-günah kavramları ile belirlenmiş bir ahlak önerisinde bulunmaktadır. Akıl ile din arasında tam bir mutabakat olduğunu kabul eden Atay’ın din anlayışının sacayağını bilgi, iman ve ahlak oluşturmaktadır. Ona göre İslam’ın getirdiği tüm iyilikler ve güzellikler din, dil, renk, etnik köken, coğrafya farkı gözetmeksizin herkesi kuşatacak şekilde adalet ve hakkaniyete, hukuk ve ilkeye göre davranmayı gerektirmektedir. Kur’an’ın amacının, insan ve onun mutluluğu olduğunu belirten Atay, insanın kendini gerçekleştirmesi ve mutluluğu elde etmesinin iki boyutu olduğunu belirtmektedir. Bu boyutlardan ilki, birey olarak insanın yetkinleşmesi; ikincisi ise toplum içinde hem cinsleri ile olan ilişkisinde adalet temelinde kendi varlığını gerçekleştirebilmesidir. Atay, birey olarak insanın yetkinleşmesini, kendi varlığını borçlu olduğu yaratıcıyı bilmesi, tanıması, O’nun dışında hiçbir varlık önünde eğilmemesi ve kendisini özgür kılan Allah’ın verdiği onuru korumasına bağlamaktadır. Toplumsal boyutta insanın yetkinleşmesinin ise yaşamsal fonksiyonlarını gerçekleştirmek ve ihtiyaçlarını gidermek amacıyla insanın hem cinsleriyle ve doğayla kurduğu ilişkide adalet ilkesine uygun davranmasıyla mümkün olacağını belirtmektedir. Bu çalışma Hüseyin Atay’ın, Kur’anî ilkelerden hareketle “İslam” kelimesi üzerine bina ettiği ahlak anlayışını irdelemeyi amaçlamaktadır. Bu çerçevede, Atay’ın bireysel ve toplumsal boyutuyla ahlaki özne olan insanın yapıp etmelerine yön veren, ahlakın kesişim noktasını oluşturan bilgi ve iman arasındaki ilişkiye dair görüşleri, Kur’an’da insan doğasına uygun bir formda sunulan ahlakî kök değerler çerçevesinde ele alınmıştır. (shrink)

There are a number of well-established concepts explaining decision-making. The sociology of wise practice suggests that thinking preferences like the use of intuition form a cornerstone of administrators’ virtuous practice and phronesis is a likely candidate to explain this behaviour. This contribution uses conceptual and theoretical resources from the behavioural sciences, administration as well as philosophy to account for individual level differences of employees regarding thinking preferences in administrative professions. The analysis empirically investigates the behavioural dimension preference for intuition/preference for (...) deliberation to cast empirical evidence on three different intuitive markers present among individuals who also prefer to use deliberation. We explore possible explanations for the differences and similarities of our global sample of 2227 workplace respondents who conceptually represent phronetic practitioners. The results show that many phronetic practitioners prefer the intuitive marker of unconscious thought, besides using deliberation. (shrink)

This paper discusses the contribution of a prolific author and an Egyptian scholar Nasr Hamid Abu Zayd and his hermeneutical approach to the Qur’an. The article argues that Abu Zayd is a Muslim reformer of the twentieth century through his takwil. His hermeneutical concept is questioning the “an-nash ” tradition of the Qur’an and the transformation of Arab culture from oral to text-oriented culture in the earliest history of the Qur’an. He differentiates between tanzil to takwil. This article further argues (...) that Abu Zayd’s hermeneutical concept should be understood from the history of revelation which speaks to a particular community and respond to a particular situation. Thus, the Qur’an itself is a living phenomenon and open for interpretation, rather than a closed corpus. (shrink)

This paper discussed the life background of Nasr Hamid Abu Zayd and the hermeneutical method used to the interpretation of the Qur’an. Nasr Hamid Abu Zayd was among productive Muslim scientists. He wrote over twenty-nine works from 1964 to 1999. His works included books and articles. Nasr’sthought was a product of his educational background and religious thought. An interesting discussion of Nasr’s thought was the conceptual discourse. In the historical trajectory of the Arabic world, the text had a crucial position, (...) especially when we saw the development of Islamic literature from pre-Islamic to the Islamic era. The oral tradition was deeply rooted. The text was ultimately believed to have a major influence in the formation of civilization through a hermeneutical approach, developed by modernists such as Nasr Hamid Abu Zayd, which became an attempt to develop an approaching understanding the Qur’an which had been widely opposed among Muslims. Because there was a very basic difference between hermeneutics on the other hand, and tafsir-takwil on the other hand, so it is considered inappropriate to be used to study the Qur’an. Therefore, this paper will discuss the concept of the hermeneutical method of the Qur’an by Nasr Hamid Abu Zayd as a repertoire of Islamic studies. (shrink)

In _Knowing God_, Ismail Lala investigates the nature of God and whether we can truly know Him according to the influential mystic, Muḥyī al-Dīn ibn ʿArabī, and his disciple, ʿAbd al-Razzāq al-Qāshānī.

This study aimed to examine the thoughts and expectations of patients receiving healthcare from their physicians and evaluate the ethical aspects of these thoughts and expectations. To determine the ethical aspects of the thoughts and expectations of patients, an open-ended question was asked on the web page of the Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) Health Care Command, which is accessible to the users of the TAF intranet system (the internet system used within TAF institutions). The participants were asked to express their (...) thoughts in their own words. A total of 804 participants answered the question by providing their input. The statements of the participants were classified separately by two public health specialists. The classification was made in accordance with the basic principles of patient rights, and they were collected under various headings including expectations about respect and care, good communication, informed consent, and fair and non-privileged distribution of healthcare services. The results show that patients tend to consider the physicians they see as solely responsible for all the negative issues that they encounter during their healthcare. This indicates that there is a need for extensive research on the underlying factors involved in the negative thoughts and feelings toward healthcare professionals in both TAF and Turkey in general. (shrink)

Muḥyī al-Dīn Ibn ‘Arabī (d. 638/1240) is regarded as one of the foremost mystical thinkers in Islam. This paper explores the ways in which he and his followers distinguish between the reality of Muḥammad (_al-ḥaqīqa al-Muḥammadiyya_) or the light of Muḥammad (_al-nūr al-Muḥammadī_), as the metaphysical reality of Muḥammad, and his metahistorical manifestation as Muḥammad Ibn ‘Abd Allāh. In his metaphysical reality, Muḥammad is the manifestation of the _qur’ān_, which ‘brings together’ the divine and His creation. Muḥammad’s metaphysical reality, as (...) the primary recipient of the divine outpouring, enables further differentiations of the divine to emerge in the form of the universe, and establishes his connection to the divine. Yet the Qur’an is also temporal in terms of being an historical act of revelation. Likewise, Muḥammad Ibn ‘Abd Allāh, in terms of his physical reality, was temporally circumscribed. It is in these ways, argues Ibn ‘Arabī and his acolytes, that Muḥammad, as reality and personality, brings together the divine and the temporal, in the same manner as the _qur’ān_/Qur’an respectively. (shrink)

Die Liebe ist auf der einen Seite die erste Stufe des menschlichen Handelns, auf der anderen Seite ist sie die Letzte. Die Liebe ist bei jeder Periode der Emanzipation des Individuums dabei und führt ihre Existenz parallel zum Entwicklungsgrad des Bewusstsein fort. Die Emanzipation findet da statt, wo das Individuum und der Andere zusammen sind. Waehrend das "Ich" seine Emanzipation verwirklicht, traegt es auch die Emanzipation des Anderen in sich. Das kritische Bewusstsein des Individuums über Fakten, Begriffe und Phaenomene startet (...) beim Individuum seine Emanzipation, weil das kritische Bewusstsein eine dem Daseienden gegenüber unterschiedliche autonome und originelle individuelle Haltung verschafft und über sich und andere Bewusstsein bildet. Das zeigt, dass das philosophische Bewusstsein, das mit der Hoffnung begonnen hatte, sich im Emanzipationsabenteuer des Menschen zu einem höheren Niveau entfaltet. Die dritte Phase der Emanzipation est die Phase der Selbstverwirklichung des Individuums. Diese Phase bedeutet, dass das Individuum in Situationen, die ihn betreffen, nach freien Willen entscheiden kann und sich nicht der Macht eines anderen Willens beugt, dass es seine eigenen Begabungen, Fertigkeiten oder Faehigkeiten nach eigenen Willen verwirklicht. (shrink)

Die Liebe ist auf der einen Seite die erste Stufe des menschlichen Handelns, auf der anderen Seite ist sie die Letzte. Die Liebe ist bei jeder Periode der Emanzipation des Individuums dabei und führt ihre Existenz parallel zum Entwicklungsgrad des Bewusstsein fort. Die Emanzipation findet da statt, wo das Individuum und der Andere zusammen sind. Waehrend das "Ich" seine Emanzipation verwirklicht, traegt es auch die Emanzipation des Anderen in sich. Das kritische Bewusstsein des Individuums über Fakten, Begriffe und Phaenomene startet (...) beim Individuum seine Emanzipation, weil das kritische Bewusstsein eine dem Daseienden gegenüber unterschiedliche autonome und originelle individuelle Haltung verschafft und über sich und andere Bewusstsein bildet. Das zeigt, dass das philosophische Bewusstsein, das mit der Hoffnung begonnen hatte, sich im Emanzipationsabenteuer des Menschen zu einem höheren Niveau entfaltet. Die dritte Phase der Emanzipation est die Phase der Selbstverwirklichung des Individuums. Diese Phase bedeutet, dass das Individuum in Situationen, die ihn betreffen, nach freien Willen entscheiden kann und sich nicht der Macht eines anderen Willens beugt, dass es seine eigenen Begabungen, Fertigkeiten oder Faehigkeiten nach eigenen Willen verwirklicht. (shrink)

This book explores the religious experiences of two notable figures who endured severe trials under authoritarian regimes: Bediuzzaman Said Nursi (1877–1960) within the Islamic tradition, and Aleksander Solzhenitsyn (1918–2008) within the Russian Orthodox Christian tradition. Against the tumultuous backdrop of the twentieth century’s spiritual, social, political, and intellectual upheavals, both Nursi and Solzhenitsyn grappled with immense hardships because of their beliefs. Despite immense tribulations, both individuals demonstrated unwavering faith and resilience in the face of adversity, continuing their scholarly and literary (...) activities. The current study centers on the dichotomy of spiritual confinement and expansiveness, illustrating how people can experience spiritual distress even without physical restraints. It explores the historical and conceptual aspects of imprisonment within Christian and Muslim perspectives, explores the reasons for Nursi and Solzhenitsyn's incarceration, examines their coping mechanisms in the face of hardship, and underscores the role of faith and spirituality. The author integrates personal experiences, particularly his own incarceration during the aftermath of the 2016 Turkish staged coup attempt, within the context of the narratives of Nursi and Solzhenitsyn. The book addresses court proceedings, release, departure from Turkey, and resettlement in Australia. Throughout, the author draws parallels between their own observations and those of Nursi and Solzhenitsyn, contributing to the broader discourse on individual spirituality and collective consciousness. The book offers insights into spiritual resilience in the face of adversity, utilizing the lives of these figures to illuminate shared human experiences. A unique collation of personal narration and scholarly reflection, it is relevant to academics and students in history, political science, sociology, Islamic and Middle Eastern studies, and to social scientists researching the phenomenon of exile and prison in different countries across the world. It also speaks to the work of activists and policymakers in human rights. (shrink)

We consider a chain of metabolic reactions catalyzed by enzymes, of reversible Michaelis-Menten type with full dynamics, i.e. not reduced with any quasi-steady state approximations. We study the corresponding dynamical system and show its global stability if the equilibrium exists. If the system is open, the equilibrium may not exist. The main tool is monotone systems theory. Finally we study the implications of these results for the study of coupled genetic-metabolic systems.

This study aims to investigate the experiences and problems of foreign nationals in Turkey, concerning microaggressions. Thus, it was aimed to find out which types of microaggressions -and at what frequency- are experienced by people who come to Turkey for different reasons like education, pursuit of a better life or escaping from war. The study was conducted in five different cities of Turkey. Students from primary school to university, teachers, parents and doctors took part in the study. The participants were (...) asked the single question “Do you ever experience deliberate or undeliberate insults, whether verbal or behavioral, targeting your ethnic identity and diversity in Turkey?” The results of the study show that microaggression is a very serious problem in Turkey. It can be gathered from the findings that Turkish people are not as tolerant to foreign people as they used to be. Behaviors that make people of foreign origin feel like second-class citizens and alienated take place quite often. Foreigners are usually connected with negative occurrences and they are reminded that they are not welcome in this country. These people are also accused of causing many misfortunes in the country. The study also exhibits that foreign nationals suffer greatly from prejudices about their cultures and they become the target of explicit and direct insults particularly regarding their race. (shrink)

The matter of creation is a topic on which the humanity focuses for many centuries. In our opinion, the elements which make this matter important could be evaluated within three categories: The ontological query of the human being arising from the necessity of “knowing”, the obligation of placing the being on the basis of epistemology in terms of the commonality of the quality of being, and creation being the commencement date of universe and human being. Throughout the history, some distinct (...) views related to commencement have been bandied about. In this respect, some theologians and philosophers have determined not only two distinct entities, namely God and the Universe but also two realms of existence which, qualitatively and existentially, have different structures. Philosophers and theologians have searched for the affinities of these two entities. In generally speaking, some of the theologians adopted creating out of nothing (ex nihilo); on the other hand, some others adopted emanation theory. Although the aforesaid two creation explanations are considered to be incompatible with each other; İbn Sînâ (Avicenna) who adopted emanation theory in terms of explaining the creation is claimed that he used the notion of ibdâ‘ (creation) in the meaning of “creating out of nothing” (ex nihilo). In this sense, we face the question whether we could talk about creating out of nothing for İbn Sînâ as a significant problematic to be answered. We, in this paper, aim at discussing the possibility of associating the emanation with ex nihilo. In this respect, taking the criticisms brought by İbn Sînâ, we will make evaluations with reference to the general philosophy of İbn Sînâ. In particular, Kemâlpaşazâde (d. 940/1534) who argued that the notion of“Creation’” was misunderstood by people before shall be our focus. Because Kemalpaşazâde's analysis of the events leading up to his speech reveals a third point of view. In other words, Kemalpaşazâde suggests a new and original approach between philosophical and theological debates. In this article, we are to evaluate the claims in question and present our own solution. (shrink)

This article is based on the premise that the constructed image of the national self is a fundamental criterion shaping the conceptions of history teaching in the Turkish educational system. In this regard, I argue that examining how particular ethno-religious groups are discursively positioned in relation to the idealised self-image can reveal whether and how history textbooks can be revised. Having described the historical and political context for the only curriculum revision occurred in 2013 concerning a non-Muslim community, the Assyrians, (...) the article demonstrates that specific discursive strategies are used to position the Assyrian community in relation to the favourable national self-image, rather than a fixed categorization for non-Muslim communities. Adopting the methodological framework of critical discourse analysis, the author examines the portrayal of the Assyrian community in the secondary school Turkish history textbooks taught over the last three decades and identifies how the topoi of justice and tolerance, as well as allegiance and betrayal allow a particular group to be a member of the larger body of ‘acceptable citizens.’. (shrink)

Karl Popper’s critique of idealism manifests itself with the application of his method, falsificationism, to metaphysics, epistemology, and social and political philosophy. According to Popper, who identifies himself as a philosophical realist, idealism has emerged as a result of the idea that reality cannot be known by reason and of the search for certainty which is erroneous, and it has begotten two mistaken and detrimental views. These views are historicism, the notion that history has an irresistible course, and holism, the (...) notion that social wholes are organic structures that amount to more than the individuals constituting them. Historicism and holism have become the philosophical underpinnings of closed societies throughout history, such as the totalitarian regimes of the 20th century. Therefore, with a practical leaning, Popper actually takes aim at these pernicious consequences of idealism while criticizing it. In this study, idealism and the contours of Popper’s philosophy are examined, and then Popper’s metaphysical, epistemological, social, and political critiques against idealism are investigated. Keywords: Karl Popper, idealism, historicism, holism, falsificationism. (shrink)

Al-Qāḍī al-Nuʿmān, The Disagreements of the Jurists: A Manual of Islamic Legal Theory. Edited and translated by Devin J. Stewart. Library of Arabic Literature. New York: New York University Press, 2015. Pp. xxxviii + 405. $40.

This study is the first part of an attempt to settle a vigorous debate among historians of medieval philosophy by harnessing the resources of analytic philosophy. The debate is about whether Avicenna's epistemology is rationalist or empirical. To settle the debate, I first articulate in this article the three core theses of rationalism and one core thesis of empiricism. Then, I probe Avicenna's epistemology in his major works according to the first core thesis of rationalism (the intuition thesis). In the (...) end, I find Avicenna committed to this thesis in at least one substantive way, namely, in his claim to intuit the intelligible forms or essences. This suffices to count Avicenna as rationalist. In a subsequent article, I shall probe Avicenna's epistemology according to the other two core theses of rationalism, presenting further evidence that he was a rationalist, not an empiricist. (shrink)

ABSTRACT The connection between the unity of God and the multiplicity seen in the universe represents the central concern for the Sufi thinker, Muḥyī al-Dīn ibn ‘Arabī (d. 638/1240). It deeply affected the thought of the Southeast Asian mystic, Ḥamza Fanṣūrī (d. 1590?), and his alleged disciple, Shams al-Dīn al-Sumatra’ī (d. 1630). Traces of this idea, through its popularisation in the poems of Fanṣūrī, exert a powerful influence on the Indonesian intellectual topography to this day. This article investigates the concept (...) of unity and multiplicity, of the One expressed as the many in the phenomenal world, in Ibn ‘Arabī’s Fuṣūṣ al-ḥikam (Ringstones of Wisdom). Through a close textual reading of the chapters of Ādam (Adam) and Ibrāhīm (Abraham) and their various commentaries by the most influential followers of Ibn ‘Arabī, it concludes that the representation of ‘oneness of being’ (waḥdat al-wujūd), which was extensively taught by Fanṣūrī in Aceh, as an erasure of the God-Man divide, is untenable. (shrink)