M.A. Theses

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A comparison of Aristotelian and Cartesian highest human goods
(Thesis (M.A.)-Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences, 2004., 2004.) Safalı, Levent.; Voss, Stephen,
The present thesis is an attempt to analyze and compare two philosophers' accounts of the highest human good: Aristotle's and Descartes'. My main goal has been, after understanding the conceptual frameworks necessary to evaluate the accounts these two philosophers give of the highest human good, to analyze and compare them.In my analysis I have concluded that for Aristotle the highest human good is contemplation, and for Descartes a special contentment of the soul achieved through following virtue.In the comparison I have made, I found one similarity between them: this is that both accounts include godly features. Besides that, there were two main differences between these accounts. One difference originated from the difference in the accounts of causation in Aristotelian and Cartesian philosophy. The second difference concerned the relation between the account of the highest good and the rest of the philosophy it belongs to. The Aristotelian account of the highest good has a necessary relation with the general philosophy of Aristotle, whereas the Cartesian account of the highest good has only a contingent relation with the general philosophy of Descartes.
A critical assessment of Hume’s and al-Ghazālī’s views on critique of causation
(Thesis (M.A.) - Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in the Social Sciences, 2018., 2018.) Karandish, Zehra.; Demirli, Sun.; Muhtaroğlu, Nazif.
This thesis shows the similarities and differences between the views of al-Ghazālī and David Hume on causation. Such a comparison is interesting because, long before Hume, the Islamic philosopher al-Ghazālī had taken up the issue of necessary causality. Although al-Ghazālī’s and Hume’s respective views on causation evince some striking parallels in their empirical contention, there are some notable differences as well. Both philosophers reject the view that the connection between empirical events and objects is of logical necessity. They use the negative argument that the necessary connection between any two natural objects or events cannot be perceived and cannot be justified rationally. However, to give an ultimate reason for the theory of causality, al-Ghazālī, unlike Hume, makes reference to God. In other words, he defends occasionalism, in order to establish God’s omnipotence and the possibility of miracles. On the other hand, according to Hume, we cannot give an ultimate justification for the theory of causality. Moreover, the thesis claims that al-Ghazālī’s argument against the necessary connection is an ontological claim, i.e. his conclusion is that there are no real causal connections in nature. But Hume seems to suspend judgment on the ontological question of whether there really are causal connections in nature. In other words, Hume’s argument is epistemological, insofar as reason cannot discover such causal relations between such events. All in all, this study focuses on both philosophers’ arguments against the necessity of natural causation.
A critical examination of the philosophical defense of free logics
(Thesis (M.A.) - Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences, 2014., 2014.) Altan, Emre.; Kılınç, Berna.
In classical quantification theory, each singular term available in the formal language must denote some member of the quantificational domain. In this sense, standard systems of predicate logic do not allow for non-denoting singular terms of our ordinary discourse. In a non-standard family of logics called free logics, this classical requirement is dispensed with. This study is about these non-standard logics. It has a two-fold aim. Firstly, to provide a survey of free logics. To this end, I introduce definitions and characteristics of these systems, present axiomatic formulations of certain types of free logics, give a summary of different semantic approaches in free logics, and finally provide a brief historical information about their origins. Secondly, I discuss whether the adoption of free logics instead of classical logic is justified or not. To this end, I present and discuss six different kind of motivations behind the adoption of free systems. I ultimately conclude that none of the motivations provides us with enough reason to replace classical quantification theory with free logics. The study ends with a suggestion of a more successful argument in favor of free systems.
A critique of Hintikka’s reconstruction of Kantian intuition in logical and mathematical reasoning
(Thesis (M.A.) - Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in the Social Sciences, 2019., 2019.) Arslan, Aran.; Voss, Stephen,; İnan, İlhan.
This thesis is a critique of Jaakko Hintikka’s reconstruction of Kantian intuition in logical and mathematical reasoning. I argue that Hintikka’s reconstruction of Kantian intuition in particular and his reconstruction of Kant's philosophy of mathematics in general fails to be successful in two ways: First, the logical formula which contains an instantiated term (henceforth, instantial term) that is introduced by the rule of existential instantiation in the ecthesis part of a proof of an argument is not even a proper singular proposition whose relation to its object is supposed to be immediate. It is not a proper singular proposition because its truth conditions are general, i.e., it makes a general statement about a class of individuals of the sort instantiated- a statement whose analysis is based on quantifiers. Second, I show that certain proofs in mathematics- those in the form of reductio ad absurdum- are not captured by Hintikka’s reconstruction of Kant’s philosophy of mathematics either.
A critique of Kantian morality from virtue ethics perspective
(Thesis (M.A.) - Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences, 2014., 2014.) Tilev, Seniye.; Thorpe, Lucas.
In this thesis my aim is to provide an analysis of Kantian Morality from virtue ethics perspective. Kantian morality is commonly misinterpreted, and regarded in an over-simplified and caricaturized manner. As a result of this unfair reading, it is subjected to several criticisms from virtue ethicists. Nevertheless, a deeper analysis of Kantian morality seems to provide a defense against these accusations. Therefore, to evaluate this possibility firstly I give an account of these criticisms under eight categories. Secondly, I examine basic components of Kantian morality. From here I conclude that, it is wrong to think Kantian morality as a stagnant rule-following. Under the light of given arguments; I claim that it is possible to consider ethics of deontology as compatible with authenticity, perfection and constant self-retrospection.
A debate on the constitution of subject in feminist theory and politics
(Thesis (M.A.) - Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in the Social Sciences, 2019., 2019.) Baykal, Tuğba.; Silier, Yıldız.
The category of the “subject” in feminist theory and politics has been a heated debate since the beginning of the feminist movement. Considering “woman” as a theoretical subject and women as material beings in the world, the possibility, necessity and usefulness of the category of “woman” will be argued in this dissertation. I will discuss the subject of “woman” in feminism with respect to these problems, first in a historical context. Then I will present Judith Butler’s theory which opposes the necessity of the category of “woman” for feminism and her criticism of feminism as “identity politics.” Next, I will present the problems with the usage of this category based on specific examples in the history of feminism (ambiguity of protective policies, problem of recognition and LGBTI+ movement, differences among women and intersectionality). I will conclude by explaining this tension between feminist theory and politics that feminism gets its strength from, and makes feminism a self-critical, productive, and challenging movement.
A Heideggerian conception of knowledge
(Thesis (M.A.) - Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences, 2014., 2014.) Çömez, Çağlar.; Baç, Murat.
This thesis is an attempt to develop a conception of knowledge on the basis of the first division of Martin Heidegger’s Being and Time. The first chapter is a brief introduction. In the second chapter, I analyze a series of concepts Heidegger presents in Being and Time. The crucial one among these concepts for this thesis is what Heidegger calls “the world.” According to my argument in the second chapter, the world can be regarded as the structure that constitutes the background of our everyday lives. In the second chapter, I also make a distinction between two types of knowledge. I call them “transparent knowledge” and “opaque knowledge.” Transparent knowledge has the world as its object. The objects of opaque knowledge, on the other hand, are present-at-hand entities. In the third chapter, I evaluate two prominent theories on the background. These theories belong to John Searle and Hubert Dreyfus. In the third chapter, I show that both of these theories are open to various objections. In the fourth chapter, I try to show what Heidegger’s views on knowledge amounts to in an important section in Being and Time and argue that Charles Guignon’s interpretation of Heidegger’s approach to knowledge is mistaken and depends upon a partial understanding of what knowledge is.
A humean reading of Nietzsche: problem of "Is vs. Ought"
(Thesis (M.A.)-Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in the Social Sciences, 2008., 2008.) Demirel, Ertürk.; Baç, Murat.
The aim of this study is to derive a Nietzschean solution to the inferential gap between the factual premises and the moral conclusion in a moral argument. I argue that the problem is not to be solved on the formal level. Formulating it as a tension between the metaphysically necessary relations between the facts the premises express and the freedom of will the conclusion expresses, I suggest that the solution to the problem must reconcile the freedom of action with necessity. I, then drawing from Hume in distinguishing between the factual necessity of causality, and psychological necessity of freedom of action as an inferential thread-guide, argue that causality of free will can be placed in the framework of the second sense of causality. In this sense, it is no more than a feeling a natural being enjoys, not a metaphysical principle applicable to moral actions. Yet the feeling itself cannot be discarded since as natural beings, human kind needs moral motivation and acts on the belief in causality of free will. That is to say, it is the psychological necessity of a natural being, rather than the metaphysical necessity of any kind, that opens up the infamous gap. Even if the gap between the factual premises and the moral conclusion cannot be closed on the formal inferential level, one can analyze what makes this gap possible as the key to the solution. If one focuses on the factual preconditions of the enjoyment of this feeling, one can have a guideline where one can infer moral conclusions from the factual premises, and the gap perhaps can be closed on the basis of this outline. I provide a reading of Nietzsche with this aim. The socio-political rules that historically trained an animal of free will, in this reading, may govern the proper use of “Ought” and indicate for the right place to look for an inferential guide applicable to the moral arguments. That is to say the solution of the problem lies in the conception of moral judgments as speech-acts. I conclude that the rules and the preconditions of the moral speech-acts can provide the key to the moral inferences.
A late Wittgensteinian approach to early Christian apophaticism
(Thesis (M.A.) - Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in the Social Sciences, 2021., 2021.) Sadıkoğlu, Çetin.; Sidiropoulou, Chryssi.
This thesis investigates the possibility of a ground on which language can provide us with an opportunity to talk about God, despite the concerns about His ineffability as argued by religious apophaticism. Apophaticism is basically the idea that reality cannot be grasped by language. I begin by an exploration of what apophaticism is, and offer a specific form of apophatic thinking, namely, religious apophaticism. After I analyze how Plotinus argues for ineffability, I will move onto the early Christian reception of his apophatic thinking, via negativa, as it appears in the works of Gregory of Nyssa and Pseudo Dionysius. The form of religious apophaticism I will outline here holds the idea that God is so transcendent that He cannot be represented in language or in any other medium. I will then present an analysis of religious apophaticism from the perspective of philosophy of language. A religious apophaticist believes that a concept cannot be applied to God and a natural being at the same time because s/he believes that there is an incommensurability between the beings to be represented. I will argue against this idea by bringing examples from Wittgenstein’s arguments for language games and critique of ostensive definition. In the last chapter, I will show why it is problematic to hold a radical approach as regards the continuity in the application of concepts. I will look into the contrast between literalism and apophaticism, and argue that both positions are problematic. Finally, I will offer an analogical position to resolve the issue, and propose that to talk about God meaningfully, one needs to take into account the context in which the concept of God is constituted because language does not only describe facts.
A moderate defense of cognitive phenomenology
(Thesis (M.A.) - Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences, 2014., 2014.) Arıkan, Hakkı Kaan.; Thorpe, Lucas.
Is there a specific phenomenology of thinking? Cognitive phenomenology debate goes about possible answers for this question. According to a liberal conception of phenomenal consciousness, thinking has a sui generis phenomenology in addition to sensory phenomenology. A conservative conception of phenomenal consciousness rejects this liberal proposition and holds forth that the domain of phenomenology must be only sensory experiences. A detailed examination of the opposing arguments of the two rival approaches is the main topic of the present thesis study. The most common strategy for liberalism to argue for the existence of cognitive phenomenology is to appeal to introspection and claim that cognitive phenomenological properties are available to its subject by introspection. I propose that direct appeals to introspection cannot provide conclusive results and this is the main reason why conservatives cannot be persuaded by the liberal arguments from introspection. Another argument form that is commonly used by liberals is based on the notion of phenomenal contrast and liberals argue that the best explanation for phenomenal contrast scenarios is the existence of cognitive phenomenology. On the other hand, conservatives argue that the phenomenal contrast scenarios are explainable not by cognitive phenomenology but by sensory phenomenology and that there is no need to grant the existence of cognitive phenomenology. The general line of thinking of conservatives against the liberal arguments is a reductionist approach. I argue that this reductionist approach cannot prove the inexistence of cognitive phenomenology and support my claim with adverbialism. Moreover I argue that adverbialism conflicts with neither liberals nor conservatives and believe that the adverbialist approach can reconcile the two rival views.
A philosophical inquiry into Nasreddin Hodja stories
(Thesis (M.A.) - Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in the Social Sciences, 2019., 2019.) Tığlı, Gizem.; Voss, Stephen,
Overall, this thesis is about Nasreddin Hodja’s stories. Selected stories from a trustworthy source in Anatolian Turkish are used and then translated into English with the effort of keeping the essence of the actual story. These stories include philosophical utterances on which my inquiry is based with the aim of revealing them. The commentaries and the philosophical discussions in this paper are based on my personal investigation. Philosophical issues are not explicitly mentioned in the stories and therefore my aim is to reveal the hidden messages kept within them.
A philosophical interpretation of the unconscious in light of Wilfrid Sellars’ reasons – causes dichotomy
(Thesis (M.A.) - Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in the Social Sciences, 2015., 2015.) Kuyumcuoğlu Tütüncüoğlu, Nezihe Müge.; Voss, Steven.
Wilfrid Sellars’ contribution to the nature versus intellect problem is to challenge the idea that knowledge involves a causal relation between nature and intellect. He transformed the distinction by showing that ontological differences are not relevant as far as knowledge is concerned. Instead, he identified the distinctive feature of the epistemic as normativity in terms of logical-inferential liability, as opposed to the nonepistemic, which is neutral, natural, causal. He epitomized this idea in his distinction of the logical space of reasons versus the material space of causes. I aim to investigate the challenge posed by Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytic framework of the unconscious to Sellars’ framework, in terms of the space of reasons - space of causes distinction. Specifically, I evaluate Wilfred Bion’s psychoanalytic account of the development of thinking, and apply Sellars’ framework to Bion’s theories. As a result of my analysis, I argue that the logical space of reasons is not limited to conscious endorsements, and that it involves the unconscious as well. This would be possible if we take meaning as an external, inter-subjective reality that the subject has to commit to. Conscious awareness is not required for a subject’s commitment to the meaning of content, propositional awareness is sufficient. If commitment can be differentiated from endorsement, the phenomenon of repression can be logically consistent with this framework.
A quest for social justice: A critique of Hayek’s social philosophy
(Thesis (M.A.) - Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in the Social Sciences, 2016., 2016.) Muğurtay, Nihat.; Westphal, Kenneth R.
For Hayek, the rule of law and principles of social justice strictly exclude each other. According to laissez-faire philosophers the concept of the rule of law excludes all substantive equality, positive liberty, affirmative action, sanctions for discrimination; namely all the aims of social justice are excluded from the concept of ‘justice’. Irreconcilability of the rule of law and social justice is one of the main arguments of Hayek’s thought. Formal justice is the only kind of justice and equality before the law is the only kind of equality. The concept of the rule of law is radicalized by laissez-faire philosophers in the twentieth century. This extreme attitude is based on an assumption: formal justice and capitalism are strictly related to each other. Thus, this attitude is in contrast with social justice. According to libertarians, any positive sanction towards substantive justice (for particular people and classes) will destroy the rule of law, namely the law of liberty. However, in this thesis, I will try to undermine Hayek’s irreconcilability thesis and offer an idea which makes the rule of law compatible with social justice. I will use the capability approach to reconcile these two concepts. My theory of social justice makes this reconciliation necessary. It refutes the Hayekian premises.
A reconciliation of two approaches to freedom :|neo-republicanism and Marxism
(Thesis (M.A.) - Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in the Social Sciences, 2021., 2021.) Kılıç, Onur.; Silier, Yıldız.
Philip Pettit and Quentin Skinner argue that neo-republican freedom, which is freedom as non-domination, is a negative conception of freedom. It is an alternative to all accounts of positive freedom and the liberal understanding of negative freedom. However, such an understanding of freedom implicitly requires certain virtues from individuals. One has to construct himself as an equal to others. Also, one has to act in a way that does not reproduce the ideologies that support domination. For those reasons, freedom as non-domination requires a certain degree of self-realization and there is an exercise-concept aspect of it. Contrary to what Pettit and Skinner think, that concept makes neo-republican freedom a form of positive freedom. Such an analysis annihilates a possible categorical difference between Marxist freedom and neo-republican freedom. Then, the implications of freedom as non-domination in work-life necessitates a transformation in property relations. Because capitalism inevitably produces domination relationships between capitalist and worker. On the other hand, Marxist freedom necessitates a social structure free from all sorts of domination. Therefore, Marxist freedom and neo-republican freedom converge at one point.
A strong value-neutral theory of autonomy
(Thesis (M.A.) - Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences, 2014., 2014.) Güreli, Ozan.; Silier, Yıldız.
Manipulation and oppressive socialization are among the most senous issues of the contemporary debates on autonomy. Procedual theories of autonomy focus on the way our beliefs are formed and don't rule out or necessitate having certain norms for autonomy to obtain. In this sense, procedural theories are contentneutral. However, these theories are limited to an analysis of our mental structure and preference formation. Thus, they lack analytical tools to account for the relation between autonomy and social phenonmena like oppressive socialization. Substantive theories, on the other hand, associate heteronomy in such cases with the presence or absence of certain norms and values, albeit in problematic ways. While substantive theories bite the bullet and approach the problem of oppressive socialization in a more serious way, they do it at the expense of losing value-neutrality and defining autonomy in an arbitrary way. In this work, an alternative social theory of autonomy is propounded in order to explicate the problem of oppressive socialization in the context of autonomy. By employing the method of "via negativa", a definition of autonomy is reached by showing what it shouln't be. Various works of philosophers like Gerald Dworkin, Harry Frankfurt, John Christman, Natalie Stoljar, Sigurdur Kristonsson are criticized in order to reach an alternative which doesn't have their common defect, namely epistemic individualism, a concept further developed within the context of autonomy by Peter Nelsen. In this context, indispensability of a power relations oriented analysis for a social theory of autonomy is stressed. While contentneutrality is preserved, it is demonstrated that achieving various degrees of autonomy is mainly determined by social conditions and attainment of these conditions may require radical social change. This is how a strong content-neutral approach, a seeming oxymoron is turned into a plausible theory.
A Study on Plato's attack on democracy
(Thesis (B.A.)-Robert College, 1958., 1958.) Ersu, Erkin.
Abstract objects as constituents of external reality: A defense of the fregean account against Dummett’s objections
(Thesis (M.A.) - Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in the Social Sciences, 2017., 2017.) Karabağ, Ahmet Özcan.; Voss, Stephen,
In his Foundations of Arithmetic (1980) Gottlob Frege sets out to give an account of the existence of some types of abstract objects by means of justifying ascription of reference to singular terms purporting to refer to these objects. To this end he employs his Context Principle (CP), which states that “it is only in the context of a sentence that a word has any meaning” (§62, p. 73; §60, p. 71). Michael Dummett contends that Frege’s CP and his realism are in conflict, and hence that the account of reference given by means of CP makes it implausible to think of the references of names for abstract objects as external objects, i.e. as constituents of reality. In this study, an attempt is made to respond to Dummett’s three objections to Frege’s account, by pointing out the similarities between the assumptions lying behind Dummett’s criticisms and those of the nominalist view in regard to the existence of abstract objects. It is concluded that Dummett’s assumptions suffer from similar criticisms directed by Frege to the nominalist view, and that the Fregean account has the answers to Dummett’s objections.
Aeschylus' Oresteia and his idea of justice
(Thesis (B.A.) - Robert College, 1958., 1958.) Sel, Esen.
Aestheticism and the romantic absolute: new mythology of early German romanticism
(Thesis (M.A.)-Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in the Social Sciences, 2008., 2008.) Küçükarslan, Onur.; Silier, Yıldız.
This study claims that Early German Romanticism introduced an authentic and independent philosophical perspective by refusing various dualisms of Kant and Fichte’s postulation of first principles and foundations of subjectivist aesthetic tradition. It is maintained that the preservation of the ground of the subject while rejecting the priority of the Ego; and the defense of Absolutism without the refusal of pluralism makes Early German Romanticism an actual and strong alternative among contemporary criticisms of modernity. The common misunderstanding that Early German Romanticism belongs to the anti-rationalist strand is rejected and it is shown that the Romantics preserved, even radicalized some of the fundamental ideals of Enlightenment and the principles of the rationalist school. It is maintained that the Romantics stressed the importance of individuality in reaction against the formalism of Kant’s ethics and that they invented a moral program based on sensibility and aesthetic sense following Schiller. Their argument that it is only art which can reveal the truth and their rejection of the individualism of contract theories in politics are other major discussions of the thesis. A discussion of the philosophical programs of Kant, Fichte and Schiller and the comparison of major Romantic arguments with these is the major methodological strategy of the study.|Keywords: Romanticism, Schlegel, Novalis, irony, genius, Absolute.
Against causal efficacy of dispositions
(Thesis (M.A.)-Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in the Social Sciences, 2008., 2008.) İçen, İlksen Necati.; Voss, Stephen,
The present thesis is an investigation of dispositional properties and their manifestations as a way to give causal explanations in sciences. According to Stephen Mumford, even though by appealing to dispositional explanations we can give information already possessed, this fact doesn’t preclude dispositional properties’ being causes of their manifestations. This study is an endeavour to show that dispositional properties are epiphenomenal second order properties compared to the first order structural properties. The views of various physicists and philosphers sustain this view of mine. My main goal has been to show that such teleological approaches (like Mumford’s) are insufficient in accounting for natural phenomena and their relations. Thus I tried to compare and contrast dispositional explanations with structural explanations.

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