Feminist metaphysicians have recently argued that many of the most influential contemporary meta-metaphysical frameworks are at odds with feminist metaphysics. In this paper I argue that the Finean framework of grounding, essence, and reality evades the main challenges that have been raised for alternative frameworks. The upshot of my discussion is that the Finean framework is an apt one for feminist metaphysics.

The advent of virtual currencies such as bitcoin raises a pressing question for lawmakers, regulators, and judges: should bitcoin and other virtual currencies be classified as money or currency for legal and regulatory purposes? I examine two different approaches to answering this question—a descriptive approach and a normative approach. The descriptive approach says that bitcoin and other virtual currencies should be classified as money or currency just in case they really are money or currency, whereas the normative approach says that (...) this question of classification should be answered on the basis of substantive normative considerations. I argue against the descriptive approach and in favor of the normative approach. (shrink)

There is a widespread sentiment that social objects such as nation-states, borders, and pieces of money are just figments of our collective imagination and not really ‘out there’ in the world. Call this the ‘antirealist intuition’. Eliminativist, reductive materialist, and immaterialist views of social objects can all make sense of the antirealist intuition, in one way or another. But these views face serious difficulties. A promising alternative view is nonreductive materialism. Yet it is unclear whether and how nonreductive materialists can (...) make sense of the antirealist intuition. I develop a version of nonreductive materialism that is able to meet this explanatory demand. The central idea is that social objects are materially constituted, response-dependent objects. I go on to offer an independent argument in favor of this response-dependent view of social objects. I then suggest that a proponent of this view can appeal to the response-dependent nature of social objects to explain, or explain away, the antirealist intuition. (shrink)

This paper is an investigation into the metaphysics of social objects such as political borders, states, and organizations. I articulate a metaphysical puzzle concerning such objects and then propose a novel account of social objects that provides a solution to the puzzle. The basic idea behind the puzzle is that under appropriate circumstances, seemingly concrete social objects can apparently be created by acts of agreement, decree, declaration, or the like. Yet there is reason to believe that no concrete object can (...) be created in this way. The central idea of my positive account is that social objects have a normative component to them, and seemingly concrete social objects have both normative and material components. I develop this idea more rigorously using resources from the Aristotelian hylomorphic tradition. The resulting normative hylomorphic account, I argue, solves the puzzle by providing a satisfying explanation of creation-by-agreement and the like, while also avoiding the difficulties facing extant accounts of social objects. (shrink)

In recent years there has been an increased interest in applying the tools and methods of analytic metaphysics to the study of social phenomena. This essay examines how one such tool—the notion of metaphysical ground—may be used to elucidate some central notions, debates, and positions in the philosophy of race and gender, social ontology, and the philosophy of social science. Three main applications are examined: how the notion of social construction may be analyzed in ground-theoretic terms (§1); how debates over (...) the nature of social facts may be recast as grounding debates (§2); and how the doctrine of ontological individualism may be formulated using the notion of ground (§3). The essay concludes by considering a skeptical challenge concerning the usefulness of the grounding framework for social metaphysics (§4). (shrink)

This is a review of Korman's book. I focus on the argument from counterexamples in favor of conservatism, the debunking response to this argument, and the arbitrariness arguments against conservatism.

Virtue Epistemology (VE) offers a specific approach to the problem of knowledge. The condition for the possibility of knowledge is the presence of certain intellectual abilities or traits in the subject – epistemic virtues. The task of VE is to compile a list of epis - temic virtues, the development and cultivation of which should lead individuals to epistemic success with a high degree of probability. The vice epistemology arises as a branch of VE, which focuses not on virtues, but (...) on vices that hinder achievement and deserve censure. Vices can be attributed to both individuals and communities. As a rule, those who tend to question the scientific consensus are considered to be vicious knowing communities: conspiracy theorists, denialists, religious fundamentalists, etc. The article argues that the logic of imputing blame for bad epistemic traits used in vice epistemology tends to turn from an epistemological tool into an ideological and political one. Since in the logic of the vice epistemology, "vicious minds" pose a threat not only to themselves, but also to the health of modern democratic societies, the eradication of vices is a primary political task. Using the theoretical framework of S. Fuller's social epistemology, the author shows how the rhetoric of vice epistemology is used today in the fight against anti-intellectualism and epistemic populism. (shrink)

Butz, Achimova, Bilkey, and Knott provide a topic overview and discuss whether the special issue contributions may imply that event‐predictive abilities constitute a root for conceptual human thought, because they enable complex, mutually beneficial, but also intricately competitive, social interactions and language communication.

Butz, Achimova, Bilkey, and Knott provide a topic overview and discuss whether the special issue contributions may imply that event‐predictive abilities constitute a root for conceptual human thought, because they enable complex, mutually beneficial, but also intricately competitive, social interactions and language communication.

Over the past decade, a group of prolific and innovative evolutionary biologists has sought to reinvent historical linguistics through the use of phylogenetic and phylogeographical analysis, treating cognates like genes and conceptualizing the spread of languages in terms of the diffusion of viruses. Using these techniques, researchers claim to have located the origin of the Indo-European language family in Neolithic Anatolia, challenging the near-consensus view that it emerged in the grasslands north of the Black Sea thousands of years later. But (...) despite its widespread celebration in the global media, this new approach fails to withstand scrutiny. As languages do not evolve like biological species and do not spread like viruses, the model produces incoherent results, contradicted by the empirical record at every turn. This book asserts that the origin and spread of languages must be examined primarily through the time-tested techniques of linguistic analysis, rather than those of evolutionary biology. (shrink)

Genetic research presents ethical challenges to the achievement of valid informed consent, especially in developing countries with areas of low literacy. During the last several years, a number of genetic research proposals involving Omani nationals were submitted to the Department of Research and Studies, Ministry of Health, Oman.The objective of this paper is to report on the results of an internal quality assurance initiative to determine the extent of the information being provided in genetic research informed consent forms. In order (...) to achieve this, we developed checklists to assess the inclusion of basic elements of informed consent as well as elements related to the collection and future storage of biological samples. Three of the authors independently evaluated and reached consensus on seven informed consent forms that were available for review.Of the seven consent forms, four had less than half of the basic elements of informed consent. None contained any information regarding whether genetic information relevant to health would be disclosed, whether participants may share in commercial products, the extent of confidentiality protections, and the inclusion of additional consent forms for future storage and use of tissue samples. Information regarding genetic risks and withdrawal of samples were rarely mentioned (1/7), whereas limits on future use of samples were mentioned in 3 of 7 consent forms.Ultimately, consent forms are not likely to address key issues regarding genetic research that have been recommended by research ethics guidelines. We recommend enhanced educational efforts to increase awareness, on the part of researchers, of information that should be included in consent forms. (shrink)

Globalization; ethics and religion; ʻAbd al-Raḥmān, Ṭāhā; philosophy.

On the basis of two large scale diary studies (n = 2022, n = 762) We study differences in the effects of dispositions and situations in the formation of positive and negative retrospective affect (retrospective-PA and retrospective-NA, respectively), the affect associated with extended (e.g. daily) experiences, as opposed to very short (episodic) experiences. We suggest that the differences between retrospective-PA and retrospective-NA is due to the fact that positive retrospective evaluation (i.e. the evaluation of positive retrospective affect) involves primarily top-down (...) processing, in which people resort to their dispositions in making these evaluations, whereas negative retrospective evaluation (the evaluation of negative retrospective affect) is primarily based on the cumulative affects of individual experiences. (shrink)

The purpose of the study is to reveal the main determinants for improving quantitative criteria in the future of improving the strategic management of a regional territory, based on the developed mechanism of a structured approach in a strategic plan for each participant in the construction of territorial indicators. The work highlights the problems of strategic management in a regional context, special attention is paid to research in the field of evaluation criteria in strategic planning. In particular, the problems of (...) determining the effectiveness of making and implementing management decisions are considered. Particular attention is paid to the preparation and development of the process of strategic forecasting, namely the use of the quantitative forecasting method in assessing strategic management. Obviously, when developing a strategic direction, the adapted elements require adjustments and additions, which is being carried out at the present time. Such changes and additions are promoted not only through legislative and regulatory activities, but also by scientific research, which, in turn, develop new directions of strategies for the development of the country's territories. Scientific novelty lies in the disclosure of the main determinants for improving quantitative criteria in assessing the strategic management of a regional territory, based on the developed mechanism of a structured approach for all participants in territorial indicators. As a result of the study, a new approach to solving the problem of quantitative assessment of strategic management for economic entities and sectors of the economy of the territories was developed. (shrink)

A collection of 37 essays surveying the state of the art on metaphysical ground. -/- Essay authors are: Fatema Amijee, Ricki Bliss, Amanda Bryant, Margaret Cameron, Phil Corkum, Fabrice Correia, Louis deRosset, Scott Dixon, Tom Donaldson, Nina Emery, Kit Fine, Martin Glazier, Kathrin Koslicki, David Mark Kovacs, Stephan Krämer, Stephanie Leary, Stephan Leuenberger, Jon Litland, Marko Malink, Michaela McSweeney, Kevin Mulligan, Alyssa Ney, Asya Passinsky, Francesca Poggiolesi, Kevin Richardson, Stefan Roski, Noel Saenz, Benjamin Schnieder, Erica Shumener, Alexander Skiles, (...) Olla Solomyak, Tuomas Tahko, Naomi Thompson, Kelly Trogdon, Jennifer Wang, Tobias Wilsch, and Justin Zylstra. (shrink)

Study of philosophical aspects of Adhyātmarāmāyaṇa, portion of Brahmāṇḍapurāṇa, Hindu mythological text.

Bu makale Sovyet tarihçiliğinde milliyetler meselesini ve bağlantılı olarak tarih yazımındaki değişimleri incelemektedir. Sovyetler Birliği’ndeki politik, sosyal, iktisadi ve askeri değişimler ve kırılmalar tarihsel çalışmaların ve tarih yazımındaki milliyetlere yönelik söylemin değişmesine neden olmuştur. Diğer bir deyişle, söylem değişimleri siyasi gelişmeleri takip etmiş ve siyasi önceliklere göre değişmiştir. Sovyet tarih yazımında dönemselleştirme, Sovyetler Birliği Komünist Partisi’nin yerel milliyetçiliklere yönelik politikalarını nasıl değiştirdiğine ve buna uygun olarak Sovyet tarihçiliğinin milliyetler meselesiyle ilgili söylemlerindeki değişime atıf yapmaktadır. Sovyet tarih yazımında milliyetler meselesi kapsamındaki (...) tartışmalar, yerli halkların, yani Rus olmayanların, Çarlık Rusya’sı yönetimine nasıl yaklaşacakları, kendi geçmişlerine, tarihlerine, kahramanlarına, onların eylemlerine ne kadar odaklanacakları, tarihi ve milli şahsiyetleri ne kadar yüceltecekleri, Çarlık yönetiminin sömürgeci olup olmadığı ve Rus Çarlığına karşı yapılan isyanların gerici mi yoksa ilerici mi olduğu gibi konuları içermektedir. Bu gibi konular Stalin dönemi Orta Asya Sovyet tarihçiliğine egemen olmuş ve merkezin politikaları değiştiğinde tarihçiler de görüşlerini siyasal değişimlere uydurup güncellemişlerdir. 70 yıllık Sovyetler Birliği deneyimi birçok konuda olduğu gibi tarih yazımında da birbiriyle uyuşmayan farklı eğilimleri içermiş, bir dönem Rus milliyetçiliği baskı altında kalır yerel milliyetçiliklerin gelişmesine izin verilirken takip eden dönemde ise yerel milliyetçilikler baskıdan payına düşeni almıştır. 1930’lardan itibaren Türkistan gibi Sovyetler Birliği’nin bazı bölgelerinde birleştirici tarih anlatısı yasaklanıp Orta Asya halklarının ortak bir geçmiş algısına sahip olması engellenirken ülkenin batısında Slav halkları açısından tam tersi bir politika izlenmiştir. (shrink)

Pratyakṣakhaṇḍa of Tattvacintāmaṇi of Gaṅgeśa, 13th cent., basic work on Hindu logic and epistimelogy of the Neo-Nyaya school in Hindu philosophy; a study.

Burada çevirisi sunulan metin Graham Parkes‘ın editörlüğünü yaptığı ―Heidegger and Asian Thought‖ isimli derleme çalışmanın Giriş kısmı için yazdığı metindir. Spesifik olarak Heidegger ve Asya düşüncesi arasındaki etkileşimi ve daha genel olarak da felsefede bir alt dal olarak karşılaştırmalı felsefenin yapısını inceleyip ortaya koyan bu yazı her iki alanda da araştırma yapan kişiler için temel bir yönerge özelliği taşıması açısından önemlidir.

Küresel güç mücadelesinde ağırlık merkezinin son yıllarda Asya-Pasifik’e kaymasıyla birlikte, 21. yüzyılın yükselen iki gücü olan Çin Halk Cumhuriyeti (ÇHC) ile Hindistan arasındaki rekabet de önemli ölçüde arttı. Hindistan’ın 1947’de İngiltere’den bağımsızlığını kazanması ile Çin’in Komünist bir Halk Cumhuriyeti olarak 1949’da kurulmasından günümüze dek aralarında süregelen sınır anlaşmazlıkları, iki ülke arasındaki ilişkiyi belirleyen en önemli konuların başında gelmektedir. İki ülkenin de geçmişinde Batı’nın aşağılayıcı müdahalelerine maruz kalmış olmasının yanında bu dönemde uluslararası siyasete hâkim olan iki kutupluluğun dünya barışına hizmet (...) etmeyeceğine olan ortak inançları dünya barışı için alternatif bir oluşum olan Bağlantısızlık Hareketine katılmalarını sağladı. Dolayısıyla bu iki neden ve her iki ülkenin de ulus-devlet oluşumunun erken aşamalarında olması, kuruluşlarının ilk on yılında birbirlerine karşı idealist yaklaşımlar benimsemelerini sağladı. Ancak çok geçmeden her iki ülkenin de materyal kapasitelerini arttırmasıyla birlikte çatışmaya başlayan ulusal çıkarları, Asya idealizminin altını oymaya başladı. Netice itibariyle 1962 gibi erken bir dönemde sıcak çatışmaya girerek Asya idealizmini bir kenara bırakıp ulus devlet realizmini benimsemiş oldular. Bu bağlamda, bu çalışma 21. yüzyılın yükselen iki gücü arasındaki en sorunlu alanlardan biri olan sınır anlaşmazlıklarının süreç içerisindeki evrimini ve bunun iki ülkenin dış politika vizyonlarının değişimleri üzerindeki etkisini ortaya koymaya çalışmaktadır. Bu analizde neoklasik realizm teorik bir çerçeve olarak rehberlik ederken ÇHC ve Hindistan arasındaki sınır sorunlarının yerel, bölgesel ve küresel yönlerini ve bunların iki ülkenin dış politikası üzerindeki etkilerini anlamak için süreç izleme yöntemi kullanılacaktır. (shrink)

Makale, yirminci yüzyılın 30’lu yıllarında Özbekistan’da ateizmin gelişme yollarının, mekanizmalarının ve yöntemlerinin geriye dönük bir analizini sunmaktadır. Özellikle o dönemin komünist dünya görüşünün insanların bilincini nasıl etkilediği ve SSCB'nin eski devletlerinin halklarının ateist eğitiminin ne kadar önemli bir rol oynadığı makalenin ana içeriğini oluşturmaktadır. Dinle mücadele, sosyalist bir toplum inşa etmek için gerekli bir durumdur. O dönemde dini fanatizm ve hurafeler kitlelerin siyasi bilincinin yükselmesine ve sosyalist inşaya aktif katılımlarına engel oluyormuş gibi gösteriliyordu. Modern Sovyet ateist literatüründe, bilimsel ateizm konusunun (...) daha derinlemesine anlaşılması ve sosyal ve doğa bilimleri sistemindeki, özellikle felsefi bilgi sistemindeki yerinin kesin bir tanımına yönelik çalışmalar yer almaktaydı. Bilimsel ateizm teorisinin sorunlarını inceleyen Sovyet filozofları sonuç olarak zor bir zorlukla karşı karşıyadır: Bilimsel ateizmin içeriğinin, yayılma biçimlerinin ve yöntemlerinin, gelişmiş bir dünyada meydana gelen insanların yaşamlarının tüm alanlarındaki derin dönüşümleri nasıl yansıttığını bulmak sosyalist toplum için önemliydi. Ülkemizin muazzam sosyo-ekonomik ve kültürel dönüşümleri önceden belirleyen sosyalist yolda gelişmesinin sonuçlarından biri de kitlesel ateizmin oluşması ve istikrarlı bir şekilde büyümesidir. Sovyetler Birliği'nde karşıt sınıfların ortadan kalkması, sınıf mücadelesinin sınırlarının dışa dönük olmasına yol açmıştır. Bilimsel ateizmin yayılmasında Komünist Partinin ideolojik faaliyeti çok büyük bir rol oynuyor. Son olarak, kitlesel ateizmin gelişiminin doğası, propagandasının içeriği, biçimleri ve yöntemleri, dini örgütlerin siyasi konumu tarafından uygulanmış ve uygulanmakta ve uygulanmaya devam etmektedir. Marksist-Leninist dünya görüşünün oluşumuna ilişkin sorunlar, önemli bir kısmı ateist eğitim olan Partinin ideolojik ve eğitimsel çalışmasının sürekli merkezinde yer almaktadır. Ateizmin gelişmesi sırasında ‘Tanrısızlar’ gazetesinin dostları topluluğunun hücrelerinden doğan Militan Ateistler Birliği’nin faaliyetleriyle ilişkilendirildi. Militan Ateistler Birliği, din karşıtı propagandanın teori ve pratiğinin geliştirilmesine büyük katkı sağladı. Problemin ele alınışı: Makale şu ana soruya odaklanıyor: Komünist Partinin ateist ideolojiyi geliştirmedeki amacı neydi? Orta Asya halklarının ideolojik dünya görüşünü hangi yöntem ve mekanizmalarla bozmak istediler? Özbekistan aydınları ateist ideolojilerin yayılmasında nasıl bir rol oynadı? Amaç: Özbekistan’da ateist ideolojinin yayılmasının sosyo-politik sonuçlarının incelenmesi ve analizi. Ateist ideolojinin Özbekistan halkının bilinci üzerindeki psikolojik etkisinin araştırmak. Özbekistan'daki kitlesel ateizmin sosyal epistemolojik ve psikolojik kökenlerinin araştırılması. Çalışmanın amacı, Ateizm kavramının kendisini belirlemek, bugüne kadar yeterince çalışılmamış olan laik ve dini kültür, bilim, felsefe, dini hoşgörü, özgür düşünce, hümanizm, şüphecilik, materyalizm kavramlarıyla ilişkisini ve karşılıklı etkisini kurmak. Yöntem ve çıktılar. Komünist Parti liderliğinin ataksik dünya görüşünü ve ideolojiyi hangi yöntem ve mekanizmalarla yaydığını analiz etme. Bunu açıklığa kavuşturmak için analiz, sentez, genelleme, tümevarım ve tümdengelim yöntemleri kullanıldı. (shrink)

Türk makam müziği, kökeni Orta Asya’ya dayanan, Çin, Hint, Fars ve Ortadoğu kültürüyle yoğurulmuş, çok kültürlü yapısıyla oldukça zenginleşmiş bir müziktir. İslâmiyetin kabulüyle Orta çağ İslâm dünyasının en önemli kuramcılarından olan Kındî, Farâbî ve İbn-î Sînâ yapmış oldukları çalışmalarla Türk makam müziğinin gelişimine büyük katkı sağlamışlardır. Türk mûsikîsi en büyük gelişimini Osmanlı devleti zamanında göstermiştir. Padişahların birçoğunun mevlevî tarikatına mensup olması bu bağlamda mûsikî ve edebiyata hâkim olmaları gelişimi sağlayan en önemli etkenlerdendir. Türk makam müziğinin gelişiminde Doğu coğrafyası ile (...) olan etkileşiminde önemli payı vardır. Safüyiddin Urmevî ve Abdülkâdir Merâgî yazmış oldukları eserlerle mûsikînin şekillenmesine büyük katkı sağlamıştır. On beşinci yüzyıl Türk makam müziği adına yapılan kuramsal çalışmaların arttığı, yapılanmanın hızlandığı ve günümüz mûsikî nazariyatının şekillendiği bir yüzyıl olmuştur. On altıncı yüzyılın sefer ve fetihlerle geçmesi mûsikî adına bir duraksamayı da beraberinde getirmiş, On yedinci yüzyıl ise özellikle bestecilik alanında önemli gelişmelerin yaşandığı bir dönem olmuştur. Çoğu müzik tarihçisi bu dönemi klâsik dönem olarak kabul etmiştir. Çalışmanın başlığında da belirtildiği üzere Hatip Zâkirî Hasan Efendi bu yüzyılın dini form besteciliğinde en önemli isimleri arasında yer almaktadır. Çalışmada bestecinin TRT repertuvarında yer alan Rast makamında ve ilâhî formunda iki adet eseri makam ve biçim açısından incelenmiş ve dönemin mûsikî kültürü adına çıkarımlar yapılmıştır. (shrink)

One of the early propositions on the nature of Southeast Asia comes from George Coedes’ 1968 The Indianized states of Southeast Asia, which assumes that Southeast Asia and its identity construction resulted from the region’s passive acceptance of culture from India and China. Such is the case that that the cultural landscape of the region becomes a mere accumulation of external influences. Robert Redfield’s notion of “great and little traditions” that Southeast Asian historians used in examining and understanding Southeast Asian (...) identity and history influenced these ideas. Zeus Salazar’s 1988 The Malayan connection, challenges this framing of Southeast Asian history. -/- This study aims to evaluate Salazar’s historiographical contributions to Southeast Asian studies, especially in terms of his efforts to problematize and establish the pan-Malayan identity of insular Southeast Asia. This will be undertaken through a critical review of his works such as Kabihasnang Asyano: Isang pangkasaysayang introduksyon [Asian civilization: A historical introduction] (1990); The Malayan connection (1998); Ang Pilipinong banua/banwa sa mundong Melano-Polynesiano [The Philippines in the Melano-Polynesian world] (2006); and, Asya: Kasaysayan at kabihasnan [Asia: History and civilization] (2010), as well as the works of some scholars in Southeast Asian Studies who have been influenced by Salazar and his works. The research will also show that the nationalist historiography that Salazar advocates emphasizes and highlights the Southeast Asian region’s Austronesian roots as the basis of the region’s cultural identity. (shrink)

Milattan önce 6. yy’ da Konfuçyüs tarafından kuralcı bir çerçevede açıklanan ve bilgelikerdemlilik sentezini temel alan düşünce ekolüne ahlaki psikoloji kuramını getiren ilk fikir adamı Mengzi’dır. İnsanın doğuştan iyiliği önermesiyle duygu, düşünce ve eylem arasındaki tutarlılığı içgörüsel farkındalığa kaynak gösteren Mengzi, Çin felsefesine yeni bir soluk getirir. Bu önerme, 11.yy’da Neo-Konfuçyüsçü filozof Cheng Hao’ın sezgisel öğrenme metoduyla korunsa da önermenin Doğu Asya topraklarına yayılmasındaki asıl katkı Ming dönemi siyasetçisi, hattatı ve generali Wang Yangming’e aittir. Wang Yangming, Mengzi’dan aktardığı zihinsel-spiritüel (...) bütünlüğü öğretisine dâhil ederek doğuştan gelen bilgi ve erdemin davranışsal tepkimeye yansıma sürecinde rasyoneli dışlar. Sezgisele odaklı bu kuramda duygu ile düşünce birbirinden ayrılmadığı gibi sorgulama, gözlemleme ve deneyimleme safhalarının pratiğine ihtiyaç duyulmaz. Birey, fıtraten doğru-yanlış ayrımı yapabilme yeteneğine sahip olduğu için içgörü ve sağduyuyla her şeyi idrak edebilir; önceden idrak edebildiği için de davranma, bilme ile eş zamanlı güdülenir. Bu çalışmada, Wang Yangming’in sezgisel bilgi kuramıyla savladığı kişisel gelişimin Batı dünyasındaki karşılığı ve modern psikolojiyle özdeşleşen özelliği incelenecektir. (shrink)

The spread of Islam from the Arabian Peninsula to the North Africa and al-Andalus in the west, to the Chinese borders and the Indian Subcontinent in the east, helped Muslims to establish close contact with many different cultures. One of the consequences of this is that both the increase in scientific accumulation and the emergence of new needs in military, financial and similar aspects accelerated the studies on geography. Islamic geographers of the first period, not only did they describe the (...) cities to which they travelled but also they depicted the cities about which they could collect data. These first works, which can be considered as a kind of written maps, have some common features, although they are written in different geographies and revealed by different schools. One of these common points is the terminology that they used in depictions of cities. This terminology suggests that there was a common city typology among Muslim geography scholars that stands out in the depiction of cities. In this study, particularly we will try to answer a number of questions such as what the concepts of authors are and what they mean and the relationship between these concepts by examining the uses of authors in their works.SummaryThe depictions of settlements which were designated as madīna in the works of the medieval Muslim geographers have some common characteristics. One of them is the terminology used by the authors in depictions of cities. In this study, particularly I tried to answer a number of questions such as what the concepts of authors are and what they mean and the relationship between these concepts by examining the uses of authors in their works. Then, a common city typology which is prominent in the depiction of cities among the Muslim geography scholars has been put forward. The structural elements that are considered to constitute this typology also revealed the topographic elements of a city at that time.The cities conquered by muslims had a great impact on the emergence of the terminology used by Muslim geographers in depicting cities. I can say that especially Persian influence; the cities in Iran, Khurāsān which were captured from the Sāsānians and Mā Warāʾ al-Nahr districts was effective. However, geography writers did not restrict using this terminology for only these regions, they also had continued to use in depiction of other regions such as North Africa and al-Andalus. This means that a common language and terminology emerged and started to be used.Geography authors point to five main elements that I have examined in separate titles while describing Islamic cities that they called "madīna". These are kuhandiz, shahristān, rabad, the part so-called “the adjacent agricultural fields / agricultural fields surrounded by wall” by us and the last part rustāq connected to main city center. Depending on ways of development of cities, these elements sometimes developed from inside to out, in other words from center to environment, sometimes surrounded by independent walls and sometimes adjacent to each other. However, a city did not have to have all these elements at the same time. This situation was totally related to development level of city, and the cities which had all these elements were the military, administrative and economically developed centers of the period. From the methodical point of view, it should be noted that the examples given in the study were selected from among the other cities in order to ensure that to understand the subject in best way and ensure that the silhouette on the city typology is seen better. Because it is possible to find examples of each element in all city depictions of Islamic geography writers. Kuhandiz, shahristān/madīna, and rustāq are the elements that can be seen in the pre-Islamic period. It is possible to think of the Islamic period as a period in which these words were conceptualized, new madīnas and rabads were formed, surrounded by walls and rabads were gradually transformed into madīnas. In geography texts, it is seen that there is a concept confusion between kuhandiž and buildings named qalʿa, ḥiṣār and ḥiṣn. However, as some writers hade tried to emphasize, "kuhandiz" had been using for these structures which were previously known as fortress (especially ḥiṣn or qalʿa) due to their proportion to shahristāns / madīnas of city centers, and were notably seen in the regions of Khurāsān and Mā Warāʾ al-Nahr. Kuhandižs represent the centers of pre-Islamic cities and were continued to be used for the same purpose in the early Islamic period. But, these old areas were gradually abandoned due to the development of new parts of settlement under Muslim administration. Shahristāns were residential areas where the majority of people lived. With the Islamic period, the word “shahristān” had been terminologically changed to “madīna” and use of this concept by scientific circles was gradually disappeared in time. At this point, it is one of the issues to be considered in the examination of geography works that the use of “madīna” in Arabic both for the concept of the city in which we examine the structural elements in this article, and for “shahristān” which is one of the elements of the city.As it is understood from the geographical texts, madīna was continued to be established by Muslims in cities for centuries. These are also examples of change in cities as a result of development and housing activities after the conquests. However, we don’t have much information in the geography works about the cities which had more than one shahristān /madīna before the inhabit of Muslims. As far as we can reach, the only example in our resources with multiple madīnas/shahristān belonging to the pre-Islamic period is Bukhara.As in the developed cities of the period such as Bukhara, Samarqand, Marw and Balkh, it is seen a generaly circular fortification wall which usually surrounded main center of cities including kuhandizs, madīnas/ shahristān and mostly later rabads. So, it is more appropriate to consider the areas between these walls and other parts of city (kuhandiz, shahristān/madīna, rabad) as an independent element because of the fact that they were lands with determined borders and were defined by separate concepts. I have used “adjacent agricultural area” for this element for now. Thus, this area constitutes one of the structural elements of the cities.Rustāqs were parts of Persian-Sāsānian urbanization and land administration, and had continued to be partially implemented during the Islamic period. They were the source of livelihood of the cities from foundation stage and were an indispensable tool of the society based on agriculture in that ages. Depending on size, the cities could have dozens of them. As can be seen in the case of Balkh, the rustāḳs especially connected to the big city centers were not composed of one or several villages. Moreover, these rustāqs could contain big settlements called madīna which were their centers. (shrink)

The three great sovereigns of ancient Chinese history, which have subsumed almost nine centuries before Common Era, referred to Xia (2070-1600 BC), Shang (1600-1046 BC) and Zhou (1046- 256 BC) dynasties. The people of Shang, who represented the transition from a primitive to a civilized continuum with the invention of writing, were exposed to social stratification due to the self-interests of courtiers indulging in superstitions, relying on prophecy and necromancy. As a result of this stratification, the first examples of class (...) discrimination and hierarchical organization that divided national subjects into ranks, bestowing a privilege on the noble class, occurred. The Shang period has been implied as a process that, on one hand, continued the tradition of ancestral cults initiated by the Xia family, who founded the first official dynasty, but, on the other hand, humiliated the people in terms of status since the rulers who ascended the throne equated themselves with a divine power. The fact that the Shang rulers appropriated the rituals which took place under the name of deference during the Xia period escalated the belief of ancestral spirits’ belonging to heaven into another belief. Thus, the enslavement of those who did not belong to noble blood by forcing them into obedience to the dynasty has revealed an issue that should not be ignored. The Shang rulers, who divided the national subjects outside the noble class considering their mission, position, profession, and demotion, also classified the slaves in the service of the dynasty considering punishments, rules, and sanctions that they determined. Despite this truth, divergences among Chinese researchers underlie the dichotomy whether slavery existed in China. But if the classical texts are examined in detail, it can be sort out that slavery became prevalent in the Shang period and the dynasty was destroyed owing to the tyrannical governance policy of the rulers. In this study, it will be argued that slavery was experienced in early China society based on the idea of private property by discussing class discrimination and hierarchical organization leading Chinese bureaucracy. (shrink)

Theoretical arguments about the normative tendencies of human beings hold an important place within the context of Chinese philosophy, which began to be formed foundations by the intellectual and cultural developments corresponding to the five centuries BC. Traditional thought in China that synthesizes the earthly and unearthly phenomenon, exemplifies the correlation between moral tendencies and natural changes through the argumental doctrines of collected ideas on human nature and existence. Approaches based on this correlation include a variety of opinions regarding good (...) and bad tendencies of human being by different schools of thought and indicate methodological differences in ideal pattern of behavior. Four great movements of thought, emerged in the process referred as golden age of Chinese philosophy, share common purpose to rebuild sociopolitical order but disagree on acquisition of human knowledge and virtue. One of the main issues originates the debate in question is that moral disposition is innate or acquired and whether the motive to know right from wrong is discovered through learning. And so, there occurs some divergences concerning the methods by which secular actions should be formulated. This study aims to reveal reasons of the divergence among Chinese philosophers of early period concerning the norms of actual attitudes attributed to the process of cognitional and behavioral development, associated with their interpretations on Dao, heaven, earth and man. (shrink)