Leo Strauss has generally been regarded as an historian of ideas, albeit a very unusual one. He wrote many very momentous commentaries on the major figures in the history of political thought; yet Strauss’ main intellectual quest was to take himself back in the history, to classical antiquity and to the fountainhead of political philosophy, Plato. In this paper, however, I am mostly interested in the philosophical nature of Strauss’s basic dissatisfaction with modernity and with the adequacy of his criticisms. (...) I shall focus attention on his well-known book On Tyranny, his claim that the politics in the modern age is inescapably defined by a tyrannical rule and his criticisms that the contemporary political science is unable to diagnose the symptoms of this present-day disease, and finally his attempt to revive political philosophy in its original sense. In addressing these issues, this paper raises a fundamental criticism: Strauss’s approach jeopardizes political philosophy-i.e. his very inquiry-by ultimately putting philosophy against politics, and politics against philosophy. I will begin with a few remarks about what Strauss understood as the problem of modernity. Then I will introduce the question of tyranny which stands as the key notion for grasping not only Strauss’s criticism of contemporary politics but also as the treatment for it. Finally, the discussion of On Tyranny, I hope, will shed light on Strauss’s conception of political philosophy and will open the stage for a critical discussion of his views. (shrink)

The most frequent reasons of the accidents seen at children at the ages of 0-5 who have a right to be cared and protected are negligence and carelessness. In this study, judicial cases compiled from children between 0-5 years of age, who had been injured due to severe family negligence and were referred to the Osmangazi University Training, Practice and Research Hospital between the dates of September 1999 and March 2001, were examined. 40 of 113 cases were due to poisoning (...) from drugs. The main reasons for this were as follows the unawareness of children about the harm of drugs, putting drugs in reach of children, and the easy access to drugs from pharmacies without prescription. The recognition of international measures by Turkish government on the approach to the problems imposed by the young age population is a guarantee for the children rights. Our study implies that, as suggested by other researchers, the investigation of measures to prevent injuries due to negligence and the application of these measures will certainly improve the welfare of the given society. (shrink)

Diyanet İşleri Başkanlığı, 3 Mart 1924’te, Şeriye ve Evkaf Vekaleti’nin yerine kurulmuştur. Bu düzenleme ile dini konular, siyasal alanın dışına çıkarılıp idari bir işleve indirgenmek istenmiştir. Ancak bu tercihin aksine kurumun görev ve yetkilerinde ve teşkilatında artan ve büyüyen bir seyir ortaya çıkmıştır. Diyanet İşleri Başkanlığı’na kurulduğundan bu yana birçok misyon yüklenmiştir. Dinin devlet tarafından kontrol edilmesi, daha çok kurucu iradenin ve militan laiklik taraftarlarının beklentilerini yansıtırken, dini nitelikli hizmetlerin karşılanması ise daha çok muhafazakâr kesimin beklentisi olmuştur. Her iki taraf (...) da kurumu, Türkiye’nin sosyal, tarihsel ve siyasal dokusunun sui generis niteliğiyle meşrulaştırmaya çalışmıştır. Özellikle 633 Sayılı Kanun’dan (1965) sonra Başkanlık, sosyal hayatın daha çok içinde olmaya başlamış ve 1980 sonrası dönemde sosyal ve milli dayanışmanın sağlanması için bir araç olarak görülmüştür. Bu durum, 1982 Anayasası’nın korporatist ve solidarist özelliklerinin bir yansımasıdır. Diyanet İşleri Başkanlığı’nın bu şekilde araçsallaştırılması onun yıllar içinde bu derece büyümesinin temel itici gücü olmuştur. (shrink)

Evidence proves that physician involvement in torture is widely practiced in society. Despite its status as an illegal act as established by multiple international organizations, mandates are routinely unheeded and feebly enforced. Philosophies condemning and condoning torture are examined as well as physicians’ professional responsibilities and the manner in which such varying allegiances can be persuasive. Physician involvement in torture has proven detrimental to the core values of medicine and has tainted the field’s commitment to individuals’ health and well-being. Only (...) when this complex issue is addressed using a multilevel approach will the moral rehabilitation of medicine begin. (shrink)