As discussed by John Rawls, in a well-ordered society, a public political culture’s wide educational role bears the primary responsibility for developing reasonable individuals for the stability of a politically liberal society. Rawlsian scholars have also focused on the stability and enhancement of developed liberal democratic societies by means of those societies’ education systems. In this sense, one thing that is common to Rawlsian scholars’ and Rawls’s own understanding of the role of education appears to be a concern over the (...) stability of a politically liberal society since it is highly dependent on the character of its citizens. Also, it is usually believed that a politically liberal account of education can be implemented in a developed politically liberal society. In contrast, this study discusses the possibility of implementing a politically liberal account of education in a developing liberal society that may become a developed liberal democracy under an overlapping consensus. (shrink)

Poverty is a fundamental problem of contemporary societies including both developed and developing democracies. Although the literature on poverty is heavy concentrated on the material well-being of individuals and societies, some other aspects of poverty are to be considered as significant for democratic societies, especially for the discussions of justice and democratic order. In this regard, this work discusses a conception of political poverty based on the idea of free and equal citizenship in a pluralistic democracy in the light of (...) the theory of political liberalism. It also argues for, while defining its scope and aims as well as its main themes, a political conception of citizenship education through which developing free and equal citizens of a pluralistic just democracy and eliminating the problem of political poverty may be realized. (shrink)

John Rawls’s political liberalism and Amartya Sen’s capabilities approach have been among the most influential theories in political philosophy. Their theoretical and practical implications have also been an important aspect of discussion in the field of philosophy of education. This study provides a discussion focusing on the concepts justice, education, and equality from the perspectives of political liberalism and the capabilities approach. It also examines impacts of neoliberal economic theory over education policies and finalizes with a discussion on why democratic (...) societies need to consider egalitarian education policies. (shrink)

Once the Ottoman Empire collapsed, a new Turkish state was established after a struggle for national freedom. The founder of the Turkish Republic, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk,1 aimed to develop a western-like democratic state for the people of the remaining Empire, even though he could have become the next sultan. All stages necessary for the emergence of a new state had already been fulfilled before the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, and the establishment of the Turkish Republic was the final element (...) within the transformation process of the Ottoman state.2 Atatürk, as the successor of the Young Turks who gained political power through the constitutional movement in 1908, abolished the monarchy and established a .. (shrink)

The aim of this article is to reveal how the phenomenon of religious conversion is handled in Turkish epics, what causes religious conversion are based, and what situations arise for the individual who religious conversion. Examining the reflections of this phenomenon in epics is important in terms of understanding the approach of the individual and society in the classical period to religious conversion, which is a remarkable issue in our age. The phenomenon of religious conversion, which is as old as (...) human history, has been observed throughout Turkish history in both individual and mass examples. The phenomenon of religious conversion is also depicted in Turkish and world epics, including the Persian variant of the Oghuz Khagan Epic, one of the oldest Turkish epics. In this article, religious conversion events in the Kyrgyz and Uzbek epics, Manas, Gülgaakı, Canış-Bayış, Şeyh San'an, and Alpamış, were examined. The reasons for religious conversion in these epics include dreams, love, existential quests, suggestions, miracles, and being defeated by a Muslim. The epics were analyzed in terms of changing names, circumcision of men, marriage of women, teaching of religion, financial contribution/employment, and placement regarding the situations caused by religious conversion. The stories of Almambet, Gülgaakı, and Şeyh San'an provide details about the relationship of converts with their old and new societies. This study, which has the characteristics of a literary analysis, uses the Comparative Text Analysis Method to reveal attitudes and behaviors related to religious conversion in epics. The research was limited to the Kyrgyz and Uzbek epics, and the sample was selected from the epics in which religious conversion cases of these peoples were evident. (shrink)

This article is a collective writing experiment undertaken by philosophers of education affiliated with the PESGB (Philosophy of Education Society of Great Britain). When asked to reflect on questions concerning the Philosophy of Education in a New Key in May 2020, it was unsurprising that the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on society and on education were foremost in our minds. We wanted to consider important philosophical and educational questions raised by the pandemic, while acknowledging that, first and foremost, it (...) is a human tragedy. With nearly a million deaths reported worldwide to date, and with everyone effected in one way or another by Covid-19, there is a degree of discomfort, and a responsibility to be sensitive, in reflecting and writing about it academically. Members of this ‘Covid Collective’ come from various countries, with perspectives from Great Britain and Ireland well represented, and we see academic practice as a globally connected enterprise, especially since the digital revolution in academic publishing. The concerns raised in this article relate to but move beyond Covid-19, reflecting the impact of neoliberalism [and other political developments] on geopolitics with educational concerns as central to our focus. (shrink)

Muâviye b. Ebû Süfyân’ın yönetimi ele geçirmesiyle başlayan Emevîler dönemi, hilâfetin saltanata dönüştüğü bir dönem olmuştur. Bu dönemde idarecilik yapan kişiler her ne kadar halife ünvanıyla anılsalar da yaptıkları icraatlar göz önüne alındığı zaman saltanat özelliği kendini bâriz şekilde hissettirmiştir. Bununla birlikte sekizinci Emevî Halifesi Ömer b. Abdülaâziz, yaklaşık iki yıl süren idareciliğiyle, Râşit halifelerin beşincisi ünvanını alacak şekilde diğer Emevî idarecilerinden ayrılmıştır. Ömer b. Abdulazîz’i diğer Emevî idarecilerinden ayıran en karakteristik özelliği ise, olaylara yeniden vahiy eksenli bir bakışla Râşit (...) halifeler dönemini andıran siyaset tarzını geri getirmesi ve sorunları, Hz. Peygamber’in öğrettiği ilkeler doğrultusunda çözmeye çalışmasıdır. Bu çerçevede Ömer b. Abdülazîz, şiddet ve baskı yolunu benimseyen kendisinden önceki ve sonraki Emevî idarecilerinin aksine, ırk bağlamında Arap olmayan unsurları, fikir bağlamında da Emevî perspektifinden farklı düşünceleri benimseyen muhâlif unsurları sindirme yerine, onları dinleme, onlarla diyalog kurma ve barışçıl çözümler bulma gayretine girmiştir. Bunda da gayet başarılı olmuş ve Emevî tarihinde bütün tebeânın beyʻatını almayı başaran tek idareci olarak gerçek anlamda halife olmuştur. Bu çalışmada, istibdat yöntemini seçen idareci profiliyle; müsamaha, ilim ve diyalog yolunu seçen idareci profilini bünyesinde barındıran Emevîler özelinde Ömer b. Abdülazîz’in yaklaşımı ve bu yaklaşımın olumlu sonuçları ele alınmaktadır. Zira bu, toplum içi barışın ve kaosun sebeplerini ortaya koyması bakımından idareci sınıf için iyi bir ibret tablosu olacaktır. (shrink)