Ibn al-ʻArabī, 1165-1240.; Fuṣūṣ al-ḥikam; criticism and interpretation; Islamic philosophy; early works to 1800.

The maternal deprivation hypothesis was arguably the most discussed debate in midcentury psychiatry. Combined with the gender ideology prevalent in America and Britain, it solidified the idea that the mother-child relationship had formative influence on personality development. This essay explores the formation of this hypothesis by situating its knowledge claims against an institutional innovation set to prevent juvenile delinquency and promote mental hygiene, the establishment of child guidance clinics on both sides of the Atlantic in the late 1920s. It then (...) tracks the development of investigative agendas by child guidance practitioners, examining the practices they adopted to construct psychological knowledge claims in conformity with preventive objectives and positivist standards. Shifting the historiographical focus toward the clinical scenes in which psychological assertions were made, the essay examines how investigators sought to determine the “pathogenic” influence of early parental environment by way of estimating its emotional qualities. It argues that it was this positivist-determinist effort to achieve preventive goals that foregrounded the role of the mother in the etiology of personality disturbance and marked the knowledge field that came to be called the maternal deprivation debate. (shrink)

This article explores the development of a rat model of mother-infant relationships from its origins in the psychosomatic investigations of the mid-1960s to its elaboration into a theoretical system in neurobiology. I reconstruct the research trajectory of a group of neurobiologists in the United States, with a focus on the experimental practices they adopted while building this animal model. Providing a microhistory of this decade-long undertaking, I show that what drove the development of the model in practice was a serendipitous (...) finding about infants’ response to maternal separation. Detected inadvertently, the pup’s separation response acquired an epistemic significance of its own and reoriented the experimental system towards unanticipated paths. To explain this intriguing phenomenon, the neurobiologists kept on refining their material manipulations and stabilizing their experimental outcomes. They thus established a series of causal relationships that connected dysregulations of the infant’s physiological systems to disruptions in maternal care. As important as this interactive stabilization of technique and objects in the laboratory was how the researchers theorized the network of relationships derived from this technically constituted objectivity. Highlighting the practice-driven aspects of model-building, I demonstrate that what facilitated this theoretical process was an integrated design of complementary experiments. The outcome of each separate experiment of the research program came to bear upon the outcomes of other experiments, informing the development of future manipulations. It was this strategically driven integration process that allowed the experimenters to build expanding networks of causal relationships and consolidate them into a neurobiological theory. (shrink)

Concepts, such as death, life and spirit cannot be known in their quintessential nature, but can be defined in accordance with their effects. In fact, those who think within the mode of pragmatism and Cartesian logic have ignored the metaphysical aspects of these terms. According to Islam, the entity that moves the body is named the soul. And the aliment of the soul is air. Cessation of breathing means leaving of the soul from the body. Those who agree on the (...) diagnosis of brain death may not able to agree unanimously on the rules that lay down such diagnosis. That is to say, there are a heap of suspicions regarding the diagnosis of brain death, and these suspicions are on the increase. In fact, Islamic jurisprudence does not put provisions, decisions on suspicious grounds. By virtue of these facts, it can be asserted that brain death is not absolute death according to Islamic sources; for in the patients diagnosed with brain death the soul still has not abandoned the body. Therefore, these patients suffer in every operation performed on them. (shrink)

Abdurrahman Aliy, Felsefenin Tanrısı: Felsefi Teolojiye Giriş [The God of Philosophy: An Introduction to Philosophical Theology], 129 pp.

The epistemic basic structure of a society consists of those institutions that have the greatest impact on individuals’ opportunity to obtain knowledge on questions they have an interest in as citizens, individuals, and public officials. It plays a central role in the production and dissemination of knowledge and in ensuring that people have the capability to assimilate this knowledge. It includes institutions of science and education, the media, search engines, libraries, museums, think tanks, and various government agencies. This article identifies (...) two demands of justice that apply specifically to the institutions that belong to it. First, the epistemic basic structure should serve all citizens fairly and reliably. It should provide them with the opportunity to acquire knowledge they need for their deliberations about the common good, their individual good, and how to pursue them. Second, the epistemic basic structure should produce and disseminate the knowledge that various experts and public officials need to successfully pursue justice and citizens need to effectively exercise their rights. After arguing for these duties, I discuss what policies follow from them and respond to the worry that these duties have illiberal implications. (shrink)

The political scientist and former Bavarian Minister of Culture Hans Maier has created a historically profound, theologically educated, literarily and musically highly sensitive, politically mature body of work, with which he has inscribed himself in the (intellectual) history of the Federal Republic. This book is the first to contain contributions by renowned scholars and politicians on the rich work and impact of the Catholic scholar and politician Hans Maier. It thematises and appreciates in detail his view of German history and (...) the traditions of political thought, his critique of political language, political theology, totalitarianism and political religions, but also his contributions on Catholicism and modernity, his writings on literature and music, and finally his influence as an academic teacher, public intellectual and politician. With contributions by Udo Bermbach, Thomas Brose, Ahmet Cavuldak, Horst Dreier, Hermann-Josef Große Kracht, Jens Hacke, Oliver Hidalgo, Hans Günter Hockerts, Patrick Horst, Horst Möller, Heinrich Oberreuter, Henning Ottmann, Mark Edward Ruff, Hans Otto Seitschek, Michael Stolleis, Bernhard Vogel, Peter Graf von Kielmansegg, Theo Waigel and Markus Zimmermann. (shrink)

Sartre’s phenomenology of the image in L’Imaginaire includes analytical distinctions between the mind’s comportments towards perceptual objects, images, and signs, which he refers to as different forms of consciousness. Sartre denies any possible convergence between imaging and sign consciousness, arguing that there are essential differences in the way they relate to the notions of resemblance, positionality, and affect. This essay argues against his phenomenological distinctions by stressing the continuity of imaging with sign consciousness: between images and words. In particular, it (...) argues that his understanding of the sign as affectless is questionable and that there is no reason to believe that images and signs cannot elicit similar affects or perform the same functions. Consequently, it is possible to interpret Sartre’s physical images or “analoga” as pictorial signs: his phenomenological descriptions of physical images may indeed be recast in the language of the sign and reformulated as acts of consciousness that involve pictorial signs. (shrink)

Comprehending the messages of Qurʾān in terms of the relationship between occasions (sīra) and revelation has a profound influence on determining the contextual purpose and shades of meanings. Establishing such relationship necessitates dating sūras and verses. Although there are some oral transmissions (riwāya) that verses 12, 45, 47 and 77 were revealed in Madīnah, and some weak transmissions date this sūra as Medinan, this sūra is unanimously regarded as Meccan. Like many Meccan verses, not only the order of revelation and (...) causality of verses but also the content of the script do not provide concrete evidence about whether the whole sūra was sent down at once or revealed piece by piece or the date of the revelation. In this regard, in studies carried out on the dating of Sūrat Yāsīn, the dating of this sūra is established on the basis of the dates of the sūras coming before or after Yāsīn since they apparently have more definite datings. In recent studies done on the nuzūl order, Sūrat Yāsīn is dated on the basis of a time frame before the emigration to Abyssinia (615-616) in terms of Sūrat Maryam and Ṭāhā, or Muhammed’s return from Ṭāif and his Ascension (Isrāʾ) (620) in terms of Sūrat al-Jinn. The dating of the sūra covers a time span of 4 to 5 years and points out two discrete occasions of revelation. With this reason, there is a need for further studies to be carried out on dating Qurʾānic sūras, especially within the specific context of Sūrat Yāsīn. Traditional Islamic studies dispute the chronological order of the sūra, offering various chronological orderings for the sūra: 31, 36, 37, 39, 40 and 41. In the first part of this study, such variations and their causes are tentatively established and determining the precise chronology and listing of the sūra was attempted. Based on the analysis of the variations in the disputed ordering of the sūra, it has been found to be caused by five different reasons. When such discrepancies are accounted for and conflicts are resolved, the conclusion was reached that in almost all riwāyas, sūrat Yāsīn can be dated as the 41st chapter (sūra). In the second part of the study, on the basis of the discourse analysis of the sūra, new arguments to date the chronology of the sūra were put forward. These are; a- Because of their obstinacy, unbelievers will not heed the warnings directed at them (36/11), b- The speeches of unbelievers should not grieve Prophet Muhammad (36/76), c- The use of the word Rahmān the Most Gracious (36/11, 15, 23, 52), d- In return for conveying the message of Allah, prophets do not ask people for any wage (36/21), e- Regarding Qurʾān as book of poetry and calling Muhammad a poet (36/69), f- The possibility of recreation and reviving bones (36/78). Such arguments presented in a – f usually refer to events happening in Mecca and in particular the second part or the end of Meccan period, yet there is no exact date. g- Based on the phrase “al-Fulq al-Mashhūn”, the fact that sūrat Yāsīn should be dated after the emigration to Abyssinia (615-616) presents strong evidence that it was revealed after sūrat Maryam, though this is still not enough to give an exact date. h- In sūrat Yāsīn, in phenomenon of (a man coming from the farthest part of the City) (36/20), two names (Hazrat Abū Bakr and el-Hāris b. Abī Hāla) and two dates (month of Dhu al-Qiʿdah/April 5 – May 4, 615 and three days after Shawwal 15/February 27, 617) are mentioned in Sīra for the purpose of consolation and encouragement. In the third part of the study, in the chronological ordering of sūrat Yāsīn, information regarding the dating of sūras coming before and after Yāsīn are evaluated based on their similarity with Yāsīn in terms of discourse and diction. In nuzūl orderings, when riwāyas regarding dating sūrat al-Qamar, Ṣād and al-Jinn coming before Maryam and Ṭāhā are analysed, events happening during 7th or 10th year after emigration were observed. In addition, there were close connections between the discourse and diction of Yāsīn with those of Ḥavāmīm sūras. This brings to the mind the possibility that some sūras might be listed in the wrong place because of the vagueness of the piecemeal character of the Qurʾānic revelation and its effects on riwāyas. Based upon the findings and inferences in the first three sections of this study, sūrat Yāsīn was determined to be the 41st chapter (sūra) of Qurʾān. The dating of sūrat Yāsīn presented some difficulties especially while trying to date it according to the interrupted revelation order approach, and considering it together with Sūrat Maryam and Ṭāhā. However, listing sūrat Yāsīn on the basis of uninterrupted revelation order along with Sūrat al-Jinn, the previous sūra and Ḥāmīm sūras is found to be a more coherent strategy since it gives priority to the succession of two sūras. (shrink)

Seemingly a minor part of L’Imaginaire, Sartre’s literary examples therein are of great significance especially in the way they highlight the implicit yet crucial role of linguistic signs and words in his psychology of the image. While commenting on the act of reading a novel, he views literary words practically as images, endowing them with both an affective and representative status and illustrating the word-image through the figure of a drawing or dessin. The novel’s word-images or dessins solve an important (...) problem in his phenomenology: in order to represent, they do not need an original perception as other, more typical images do. While the dessin suggests the opportune possibility of representation without presentation, it also introduces ambiguity in meaning, running counter to Sartre’s demand that linguistic signification be clear and transparent. Sartre attempts to contain such ambiguity by ascribing the image-like, representative use of words to poetry in What’s Literature? but I argue that the dessin indeed allows for a more comprehensive understanding of the linguistic sign and representation that covers both poetry and prose. (shrink)

Dinin temel kaynaklarının Arapça olması, sınırların genişlemesine paralel olarak dilin Arap olmayanlara öğretilmesi ihtiyacı, dilde hataların (lahn) yaygınlaşması, resmî yazışmalarda Arapçanın hâkim dil olması ve bilim dili olarak kullanılması gibi sebeplerle Arapça, dinî ilimlerle birlikte öğretimi yaygın bir şekilde yapılan ilimler arasında yer almıştır. Dinî metinlerin daha iyi anlaşılmasını sağlamak, verilecek dersleri açık ve anlaşılır bir şekilde sunmak, nitelikli bir vaiz ve hatip olmak, delil getirmek ve düşünceyi temellendirmek, münazara ve cedelde başarılı olmak Arapçaya iyi derece hâkim olmayı gerektirmekteydi. Bu (...) sebep ve ihtiyaçlar nahvin bir ilim dalı olarak teşekkülüne ve öğretimine zemin hazırlamış; öğretimi bâdiye (çöl), küttâb, ev, mescit, cami, kitapçı dükkânları, kütüphaneler, devlet daireleri ve medreseler gibi mekânlarda gerçekleşmiştir. Bu çalışma, Arapça öğretimini medreseler açısından ele almakta olup Nizâmiye ve Müstansıriyye Medreseleri merkeze alınarak genelde edebî ilimleri özelde ise nahiv öğretimini konu edinmektedir. Araştırmanın amacı, Arap dilinin söz konusu medreselerde hem dinî ilimlere hazırlayıcı ve destekleyici hem de ayrı bir alan olarak tedris edildiğini ortaya koymaktır. Bu bağlamda çalışma; medreseler kurulmadan önce Arap dilinin hangi merkezlerde tedris edildiğini, medreseler kurulduktan sonra bunun ne şekilde devam ettiğini ortaya koymayı hedeflemektedir. Nizâmiye Medreseleri, Büyük Selçuklu veziri Nizâmülmülk (öl. 485/1092) tarafından 449-450/1057-1058 yıllarında ilki Nîşâbur’da olmak üzere Bağdat merkezli kurulan medreselerin genel adıdır. Müstansıriyye Medresesi ise Abbâsî Devleti (750-1258) halifelerinden Ebû Ca‘fer Mansûr Müstansır-Billâh (623-640/1212-1242) tarafından 625/1227-28 ile 631/1233-34 yılları arasında inşa edilmiştir. Sözü edilen medreselerde -özellikle Nizâmiye Medreselerinde- ağırlıklı olarak dinî ilimler (Şâfiî fıkhı, hadis, Kur’ân ve tefsir gibi) ve bunlar arasından özellikle fıkıh ilimleri (fürû‘, usûl, ferâiz, mezheb ve hilâf) tedris edilmiştir. Bu medreselerde müstakil nahiv kürsüsü veya nahve ayrılmış bir bölüm bulunmamakla beraber kendisine olan ihtiyaçtan dolayı nahivle ilgili derslerin verildiği kaynaklardan anlaşılmaktadır. Zira Bağdat Nizâmiye Medresesi’nin vakfiyesinde nahvin öğretimi için bir nahiv hocasının alınacağı açıkça belirtilmekte, üstelik burada görev yapan müderrisler arasında hatırı sayılır nahiv âlimi bulunmaktadır. Ayrıca medreselerde öğrenim gören talebelerin biyografilerinden hareketle de nahiv ilminin öğretildiği anlaşılmaktadır. Araştırma tarihsel bir konuya odaklandığı için yazılı dokümanların incelenmesi tekniğiyle ele alınmıştır. Buna göre veriler öncelikle dönemle/medreselerle ilgili temel kaynaklardan hareketle elde edilmiş; bilhassa yorum, karşılaştırma, çıkarım ve iddiaların temellendirilmesinde güncel araştırmalardan da istifade edilmiştir. (shrink)

Why did philosophy and the sciences in the East lose their momentum and enthusiasm in the 12th century, leaving the West to take the most importantprogressive steps from the 17th century up to the present day? Can these two intellectual traditions be separated from each other to such an extent as to justify today's theses of conflict? If they cannot be separated, how can the historical events that place these theses on the agenda can be explained? The aim of this (...) short study is to try to find answers to the above questions within the context of two representative philosophers, and to reveal the extent to which the easternand western traditions are implicated with each other, contrary to some claims, by examining the 17th century, which as a turning point is a very important historical period. (shrink)

Eğitim, insanla birlikte var olan bir olgudur. Eğitimin ilmî bir disiplin hâlini alması ise yenidir. Yakın döneme kadar eğitim, din eğitimi, ahlâk ve değer eğitimi şeklinde birbirinden ayrı alanlar da söz konusu değildir. Dolayısıyla bunların ilmî birer disiplin olarak birbirlerinden ayrılmaları da yeni bir hadisedir. Zira tarihsel süreçte eğitim, dinî ve ahlâkî bir karakteri haiz olup bunların her biri diğerinden bağımsız alanlar olarak telakki edilmemiştir. Burada din, eğitime anlamlı gaye ve hedefler sağlarken ahlâk, hem dinin hem de eğitimin önemli amaçlarından (...) birini teşkil etmektedir. Ayrıca tam anlamıyla tahakkuk etmesi, olumlu ve dengeli bir kişilik oluşturması adına eğitimin dinî ve ahlâkî karakteri de önem arz etmektedir. Bu nedenle günümüzde eğitim, din eğitimi, değer ve ahlâk eğitimi şeklindeki adlandırmaların tarihsel süreçte hangi kavramlara karşılandığının ya da hangi kavramlarla ilişkili olduğunun ortaya konması büyük bir önemi haizdir. Ehl-i Sünnet kelâmının ve tasavvufun kurucu isimleri arasında yer alan Hâris el-Muhâsibî (öl. 243/857), insanın dinamik yapısını oluşturan, onun olumlu-olumsuz eylemlerinin kaynağı konumundaki kalp, akıl ve nefsin belli bir ölçü ve denge içerisinde eğitilmesi gerektiği üzerinde duran, bu yönde çok sayıda kavrama yer veren erken dönem âlimlerinden birisidir. Muhâsibî’nin insanın içten dışa değişimi ve dönüşümü, onun eğitimi ve öğretimiyle ilgili farklı kavramlara değindiği görülmektedir. Bu yönüyle çalışmamız, Muhâsibî’nin -günümüzdeki anlamıyla- eğitim, din ve ahlâk eğitimiyle ilgili yer verdiği kavramları konu edinmekte, bunları hangi anlamlarda kullanıldığını ortaya koymayı amaçlamaktadır. Bu şekilde eğitime dair kavramların gelenekten tevarüs edilen birikimle ve klasik metinler bağlamında ele alınması, eğitimin günümüzdeki muhtevasını, yaşadığı değişimleri, daralmaları vs. anlamayı daha da kolaylaştıracaktır. Hem kavramların hem de bunların sahip olduğu muhtevanın tespit edilmesi bağlamında öncelikle Muhâsibî’nin eserlerinden istifade edilmiştir. Buna göre araştırma yazılı dokümanların incelenmesi yöntemiyle ele alınmıştır. Muhâsibî’nin başta edeb olmak üzere eğitime dair ele aldığı kavramlar -dönemin genel anlayışına uygun olarak- dinî ve ahlâkî bir tema taşımaktadır. Ta‘lîm/te‘allum, ders/tedrîs, edeb/te’dîb, tasfiye, tathîr, ıslâh ve mücâhede (mücâdele ve mükâbede) Muhâsibî’nin yer verdiği başlıca kavramlardır. Terbiye, tehzîb, tezkiye ve riyâzet gibi kavramlara ise ya hiç değinmediği ya da çok az değindiği görülmektedir. Muhâsibî, bunlardan edeble -bilhassa tasavvuf çevresinde ele alındığı şekliyle- dinî/ahlâkî bir içerikle ve daha çok nefsin terbiye edilmesi yönüyle ilgilenmiştir. Bunun yanında diğer kavramların da benzer bir içerikle ele alındığı gözlenmektedir. (shrink)

In the history of philosophy, philosophers have defined philosophy based on their own perspectives. This situation shows that it is a difficult and meaningless endeavor to put forward an understanding of philosophy that has clear boundaries and is accepted by everyone. However, despite these differences in definitions, there are some common points. Perhaps the most important of these common points is that philosophy is a stance, a positioning activity in the face of truth. In this positioning, William James tried to (...) find the moderate path between the currents of rationalism and empiricism and took a stance based on concrete differences in life. Like the empiricists, he tried to keep people's relations with facts alive, but at the same time, he did not exclude religion by adopting a rationalist attitude. However, James argued that abstract concepts cannot have meaning unless they find their counterpart in life. According to James, a life based only on abstract principles would not be qualified. In this study, I will try reconciling William James’ attitude towards abstract principles with practical life. (shrink)