Ph.D. Theses
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Item Implicit definition as unifying logic of mental representation(Thesis (Ph.D.)-Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in the Social Sciences, 2023., 2023) Kuyumcuoğlu Tütüncüoğlu, Nezihe Müge.; Voss, Stephen, 1940- .The problem of intentional nature of mental representations remains a priority in analytic philosophy and cognitive science. Its impact on the foundations of logical and ontological statements, such as variable referencing over objects, reveals its fundamental importance. The prevalent notion of mental representation, influenced by external representation, treats representations as static stand-ins. This poses challenges in accounting for dynamic aspects such as mensurable change and unity of representations, misrepresentation, and errors detectable by agents. Understanding mental representations therefore has implications for our best understanding of knowledge and learning. This thesis investigates the interactivist notion of mental representation, modeled after implicit defining, as an alternative. In this view, mental representations do not strictly correspond to their contents but rather "define" them, analogous to how axiomatic systems define their terms. The concept of implicit representing sheds light on the contentful nature of habits as a foundational mode of interaction. The interactivist alternative is explored with a view towards the historical development of analytic philosophy, elucidating the relationship between implicit defining, the logical operation, and the ontology of mental representation. It explicates key concepts such as habit, diagrammatical reasoning, abstraction vs. exemplification, problem of induction, functionalism, inferential role semantics, interventionist theory of causation, measure theory, concepts versus properties, framing, systematicity, and productivity. The thesis traces the reactions of analytic philosophy against pragmatism, offering a fully functionalist, operation-based, and pragmatist perspective that abandons structural notions. It shifts the core of explanation from linear mechanistic models to emergentist models of constraints and an interventionist account of causality.Item Scepticism and 'atitude' : a Wittgensteinian approach(Thesis (Ph.D.) - Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences, 2022., 2022) Arslan, Nesibe Sena.; Sidiropoulou, Chryssi.This study offers an examination of a certain kind of philosophical scepticism, e.g., scepticism about other minds, in relation to our way of knowing and understanding others. We take scepticism about other minds as an expression of a certain form of sceptical attitude and find its characteristics in the dualistic treatment of the mind/inner from the body/outer. Thus, we consider solipsism (as traditionally conceived) and the problem of other minds (as an extension of solipsism) with the aim to trace various conceptions of the self, particularly Descartes’ Cartesian ego. Against the backdrop of this conception, we introduce Ludwig Wittgenstein’s remark on “an attitude toward a soul” as a rejection of the Cartesian dualist framework. We then consider David Chalmers’ resurfacing of the notion of the ‘inner’ in his treatment of the problem of consciousness. We thereby argue that such a treatment assumes an explanatory gap between our notion of consciousness and the world, and thus, is a kind of reiteration of the Cartesian position that relates to Cartesian-type scepticism. Lastly, we consider a descriptive case —a sci-fi movie— in which we may find a host of ambiguities about what it means to be human as opposed to a machine. We offer our own treatment inspired by Wittgenstein’s “an attitude toward a soul” as a particular case of applying a rule or understanding a word. In so doing, we find that there is a kind of sceptical position that survives the Cartesian way of putting it.Item Empiricism, relativity and the spec-ulative an inquiry for elements of a new philosophical perspective(Thesis (Ph.D.)-Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in the Social Sciences, 2008., 2008.) Türken, Alper.; Baç, Murat.; Sözer, Önay.In this thesis, I have argued that a constructive approach to the epistemological difficulties facing contemporary analytical philosophy after the collapse of the “framework of givenness” demands us to revisit our commitments regarding the nature of concepthood. An important step in moving towards a new philosophical framework which avoids the apparent dilemma between the “framework of givenness” and a problematic coherentism that loses touch with the world is to recognize the spec-ulative nature of concepthood. The essence of the spec-ulative lies in grasping the opposites in their unity without losing their distinction. Spec-ulative perspective rejects that there is a given non-conceptual component of cognition and involves the idea that all cognitive content is conceptual. Relevance of Hegel’s thought to the problems of contemporary analytical philosophy has been identified by many analytical philosophers like Sellars, Brandom and McDowell. On the other hand, the particular relevance of the spec-ulative aspects of Hegel’s thought to contemporary analytical philosophy has not been studied and remains overlooked. Main aim of this thesis is to incorporate Hegel’s spec-ulative insight and spec-ulative concept of concept into the framework of contemporary philosophy and 2 approach contemporary philosophical problems from a spec-ulative perspective. This approach builds on a number of themes which belong to the internal dialectics of the history of analytical philosophy. These are discussed throughout the thesis with a specific focus on philosophers such as Carnap, Quine, Davidson, James and McDowell.Item Tragic error and the Augustinian Morals(Thesis (Ph.D.)-Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in the Social Sciences, 2010., 2010.) Eksen, Kerem.; Sidiropoulou, Chryssi.; Chalier, Catherine.The aim of the present thesis is to reconsider the notion of “tragic error” from a philosophical perspective and by concentrating mainly on the thought of Augustine. Our starting-point has been the differences between the ways in which, on the one hand the classical Greek tragedians, and on the other the critics and dramatists of seventeenth and eighteenth centuries problematized human action. While Greek tragedy was based on what we have called an “objective” notion of error (focusing mainly on the objective changes that a given action creates in the universe), the Renaissance and post- Renaissance mentality adopted a “subject-centered” standpoint and a “subjective” notion of error (laying emphasis on the conditions and qualities of the agent of an act). Augustine is the main figure of our project, since his work sheds light on the shift from an “objective” conception of error to a “subjective” one. On the basis of this idea, we presented the two major dimensions of Augustine’s ethical theory: On the one hand, we focused on the “subjective” aspects of Augustine’s theory of sin, in order to see how he defines sin on an individual basis; and on the other hand, we studied the “objective” aspects of his theory, in order to see how Augustine relates the experience of error to an “objective” condition of fallibility. We have argued that these two aspects of Augustine’s thought lie at the basis of Renaissance tragedy and that, in this sense, tragic poets like Racine and Shakespeare are post-Augustinian.Item The moral self. An exploratory study of moral agency and conceptions of self(Thesis (Ph.D.) - Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences, 2011., 2011.) Sözmen, Beril.; Soyhun, Karanfil.The main question directing this thesis is concerned with the implications of the nature of the self on the one hand and the conceptions that individuals have of their selves on the other for their moral judgement, their moral behaviour and their theory of morality. This aim is pursued along two main lines of enquiry. The first line is concerned with a conceptual clarification of the terminology used in the description and evaluation of moral agency as well as a broad overview of some of the most influential conceptions of self. The second line of enquiry is a critical exploration of the argument from a theory of relational self to a procedural moral theory. The results of this enquiry indicate that a relational theory of self as exemplified by Martin Buber and Arne Naess lays the foundation for a particularistic and dialogical moral theory, which focuses on the procedural aspects of moral agency and the role of authenticity therein.Item From Ricoeur's theory of metaphoric reference towards a phenomenological ontology of metaphor(Thesis (Ph.D.)-Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in the Social Sciences, 2008., 2008.) Tomkinson, Fiona Gail.; Sözer, Önay.; Voss, Stephen,The thesis aims to outline a phenomenogical ontology of metaphor, taking as its starting point Ricoeur’s theory of metaphor in La Métaphore Vive. It defends Ricoeur’s contention that the metaphorical statement has reference rather than simply meaning, but puts forward some significant modifications to Ricoeur’s account. I then put forward my own theory of metaphoric reference through a strategic use of Husserlian phenomenology carried out in two stages: firstly, a phenomenological account of the process of metaphorisation in terms of intentionality/noesis, involving an analysis of the intentional/noetic act of perceiving x qua y, and secondly, the advancement of a phenomenological ontology of the metaphoric referent, as Husserlian intentional act/noema. This referent I call the interrealm: the ‘imaginary world’, created by the area of intersection of the worlds evoked by the two terms, or, in Husserlian terminology, the foundational moments, of the metaphorical statement, which I call the metaphoriser and the metaphorised. I then give a phenomenological description of the interrealm, which I see as potentially containing multiple layers of reference within itself, as possessing shifting boundaries, as having a chiasmatic structure based on a relationship of reversibility between the metaphoriser and the metaphorised, and as having an infinite nature. These characteristics are illustrated with examples of poetic metaphor, chosen because of their ability to bring to light the characteristics of the interrealm, and presented as a fortiori examples of the metaphoric process: as hypermetaphor. Finally, the thesis takes up the question of the general ontology implied by this theory of metaphor, and returning to Ricoeur, suggests how his account of subjectivity could be enriched by seeing the self in terms of metaphoricity.Item Discourse of needs as a political discourse: a critical reconstruction of ‘Radical Needs'(Thesis (Ph.D.) - Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences, 2011., 2011.) Evrenosoğlu, Demet.; Silier, Yıldız.The aim of the present thesis is to explore the possibility of a discourse of needs as a political and a critical discourse. My starting point is the exposition of modern need theories. I argue that, for different reasons and to different degrees, these paradigmatic approaches tend to neglect the contextual and the dissentious nature of need interpretation and satisfaction. This in turn hampers the force of their critique of capitalist societies. The evaluation of modern need theories calls for an understanding of need that is normative and historical. In search for an answer, I turn to Hegel’s and mainly to Marx’s works for conceptual and theoretical opportunities of a historical outlook that does not relinquish its critical perspective. I argue that their dialectical treatment of need forms and their theoretical background informed by the relationship between “form”, “totality” and “critique” allow exploring human needs within the framework of an immanent critique. In this vein, I introduce the concept of radical needs a relatively unexplored concept in Marx scholarship as a moment of capitalist need dynamics and reconstruct it in terms of three interrelated aspects: Radical need as the milieu of human emancipation, universality embodied in radical needs and radical need as the motivation for collective action. This undertaking has two distinct yet related purposes: The first one is to construe radical needs as a powerful conceptual tool for an immanent critique, which appears to be neglected both in critical theory and in need theories. My second aim is to shed light upon the contemporary forms of “radical needs” and present the need for water, that is commonly associated with the realm of natural necessity, as a radical need form emerging in contemporary capitalism. I argue that formulating a need that is usually ascribed to the realm of natural necessity as a radical need form highlights the peculiarities of neoliberal need dynamics. The reconstruction of “radical needs” opens up a novel theoretical space for the discourse of needs as a political and a critical discourse.Item The concept of "ideology" in Nietzsche's philosophy : the construction of the subject(Thesis (Ph.D.)-Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences, 2007., 2007.) Mutlu, Erol.; Baç, Murat.Although Nietzsche employs the concept of “ideology” very rarely, his strong critique of Western culture can be read, in terms of methodology and content, as an analysis of ideology. The values, ideals, idols, illusions, delusions, images and representations he attacks are the constitutive elements of the corpus of an ideology. Ideology works as a “reality” in Nietzsche’s writings. This thesis aims to reveal the results and hints Nietzsche’s analyses might suggest concerning the “theory of ideology” which was a topic of lively debate in the 1970s. The category of the subject, the constitutive element of ideology, plays a permanent and decisive role in Nietzsche’s analyses. Any interpretation and evaluation that aims to give meaning to and organize life conceals its own partial and perspectival character, becomes totalitarian as it claims to be universal and eternal, and builds its own regime. The subject is constructed as a controversial and vulnerable fiction in the context of this power struggle. Nietzsche’s aim is to break into pieces the decadent structure that has turned into nihilism, and create a new world of values, a conception that will liberate the self. The problem emerges exactly at this point of conceptualization of the agents that is, the “free spirits” who will carry out this strategic undertaking. A philosophy which posits that the subject depends on a perfect automatism of instinct, that human activity is possible only through a suspension of thinking and pushing the real conditions of existence into the unconscious, will have difficulties in explaining the conditions under which the “free spirits” will create a new world of values. The tension in Nietzsche’s philosophy stems from the fact that the project it undertakes is engaged in an enormous problematic that goes beyond the limits of human activity: The recreation of the self and the world. Yet the conditions which will render possible this self-creation are challenged by the most essential claims of its analysis. On a stage where the society is identified with the “herd” and the relation of mutual recognition in the intersubjective sphere is destroyed, the freespirited individual of the future will either create himself with a godlike, isolated and hermitic action, or will be destroyed, losing his self and spiritual integrity. Thus the subject is a hold for the practice of ideology and in turn, it is under its attack..Item One is: a reading of Plato's parmenides in respect of parmenides' poem(Thesis (Ph.D.)-Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences, 2007., 2007.) Akça, Ergün Ahmet.; Baç, Murat.This dissertation offers a new analysis and evaluation of a part of Plato’s dialogue Parmenides, focussing on the hypothesis “one is” from the perspective of historical Parmenides’ poem or, more precisely the goddess’ muthos in the poem. This kind of reading shows that the context of the argumentation under the hypothesis “one is" in the dialogue is mainly determined by the restrictions laid out in the muthos of the goddess. The main thesis of the goddess’ muthos is “to be is,” which may be expressed as follows: only “is” is said of to be, and “is” is said of only to be. Following hints in the discussion of the hypothesis, it is revealed that the dialogue’s character Parmenides takes this restriction as a model, and extends it to any phusis and its proper subject of discourse: (i) only its proper nature is said of a subject of discourse, and (ii) a nature is said of only its proper subject. Such an approach shows that though the hypothesis “one is” is about the one in the dialogue, the real issue to be discussed under this hypothesis is about to be, and the conditions to say “is” to any subject of discourse. It is argued that in accord with these restrictions Plato’s character Parmenides begins the first deduction under the hypothesis “one is” with “the one one.” The main question of the deduction is how it can be argued that “the one is” follows from “the one one” under the restrictions about to be and the one. In the second deduction, following these restrictions, Parmenides takes to be as being different from the one, and obtain a whole that is composed of to be and the one. It is argued that the argumentation in this deduction is also valid for to be, and produces an aporia: to be is like and unlike. This discusion concludes that if we trust Parmenides’ argument in the dialogue, any subject which has phusis can in no way be if “to be isItem What am I? A non-psychological answer to a fundamental question(Thesis (Ph.D.)-Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences, 2006., 2006.) Erhart, Itır.; Voss, Stephen,The objective of this dissertation is to provide an answer to the fundamental 'What am I?' question. The work is composed of two parts. The first part aims to reject the Psychological Account, the view which states that we are most fundamentally persons. By pointing out the problems such a view is prone to creating it aims to show that 'person' is not a substance concept, that no kind of psychological continuity, like the continuity of character traits and/or memory, is either necessary or sufficient for our persistence through time. It is argued that the emotional attitude we have towards the concept 'person' leads many philosophers like Locke, Hume, Butler, Reid, Rudder Baker, to come up with a person-centered account of identity, which in turn leads to metaphysical problems and complicates our ontology. The second part of this dissertation is an attempt to develop a version of animalism, the theory which states that we are essentially human beings, i.e., members of the biological species Homo sapiens. 'Continuous existence under the kind human being' is proposed as the criterion of diachronic identity for human beings. It is argued that this version of animalism is not faced with the problems the Psychological Account creates for itself. Finally, the theory is defended against possible criticisms the advocates the Psychological Account may come up with.Item Moral autonomy and moral health in Kant(Thesis (Ph.D.) - Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in the Social Sciences, 2021., 2021.) Tilev, Seniye.; Westphal, Kenneth R.This study aims to show that Kantian autonomy is not only compatible with but further aims at moral health. To achieve this task, I focus on Kant’s account of judging and show that judging provides the continuity from the universal first principles of moral autonomy to its actualization as moral health. I argue that autonomy as the inalienable rational capacity to judge morally, universally and in accordance with due principles makes the core of moral agency. This reading starts from universal, objectively necessary first principles of justice which are justified by our capacity for autonomy and designates comprehensive moral experience which embraces Kant’s conception of moral teleology. In framing and talking about such moral health, we can have varying degrees and sorts of justification and communicability regarding our judgments, subjective principles, attachments, convictions, hopes or beliefs. Accordingly, the anticipated continuity from considering autonomy as an inalienable human capacity to be moral, to regard autonomy as the divine in us and the capacity to realize moral teleology depends fundamentally upon this scope of our judging. Therefore, my study proceeds on this axis and elaborates what we can justify to all universally to vindicate objective first principle of morals, and elaborates how upon this basis, we can legitimately, consistently, and rationally judge and believe in the dignity of our moral potential and in the actuality of a moral teleology which complements one’s moral health.Item Normativity in Wittgenstein :|a critique of the calculus picture(Thesis (Ph.D.)-Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in the Social Sciences, 2022., 2021.) Bakır, Onur.; Sidiropoulou, Chryssi.In this dissertation, I argue that Wittgenstein’s both early and late writings can be read as two different critiques of the calculus conception of language and two different attempts to provide alternative accounts of the normativity of language. In both of his early and late writings, he attacks the philosophical theories that aim to explain its subject matter by relying on theses and doctrines, because for him these theories rely on conceptualizing language as a calculus. In his Tractatus, his critique aims of showing the inexpressible character of general rules. He gives an immanent critique of the philosophical projects that axiomatize language. However, his mystical solution for expressing the general structure of language still relies on the idea that language operates according to calculus. In his Philosophical Investigations, he repudiates the calculus conception of language, by undermining its conceptual assumptions in the primitive picture of meaning and linguistic exchange, which informs many philosophical theories. His criticism of this picture and the rule following argument show us the implausible absurdities inherent in this picture. I argue that his practice-based conception of language and rules in Philosophical Investigations, overcome the difficulties of the calculus conception of normativity altogether by providing a new sense of linguistic necessity with his account of grammatical propositions. Lastly, I claim that his conceptions of rules and normativity provide a new understanding of doing philosophy.Item Computationalism, dynamical systems models, and interactivism :|a methodological comparison using Lakatos's scientific research programmes approach(Thesis (Ph.D.) - Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in the Social Sciences, 2021., 2021.) Erdin, Haydar Oğuz.; Thorpe, Lucas.This thesis gives a methodological appraisal of the major research paradigms in cognitive science by making their heuristics explicit. The way their heuristics is made explicit and the appraisals given is based on Lakatos’s methodology of scientific research programmes. The emphasis, however, is not on empirical progress but on heuristic type. Assuming that all the methodologies considered have equal empirical progress, it is argued that their heuristics differ when it comes to Lakatos’s "continuity" and "autonomy" norms. This shows that computationalism and interactivism are methodologically on a par and have the strongest heuristics, whereas pure dynamical modelling has the weakest. Radical embodied cognitive science’s model-based approach has medium heuristic strength, whereas the theorybased approach has weak heuristic strength. The thesis demonstrates that Lakatos’s philosophy of science is relevant and effective when it comes to methodological issues in cognitive science. Since its finer distinctions reveal methodological constrains that are usually missed in the current debates regarding explanation and methodology in philosophy of cognitive science, it must be considered as an essential addition to the existing approaches to these issues. An attempt to modelling heuristic types based on the interactivist model of autonomy is also provided.Item Politics and contingency :|Louis Althusser(Thesis (Ph.D.)-Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in the Social Sciences, 2022., 2022.) Mordeniz, Rezzan İlke.; Sidiropoulou, Chryssi.This dissertation undertakes a close reading of Louis Althusser’s early and mature works as a problematization of a particular way of thinking that, with inspiration from Althusser, I have called “the logic of genesis.” Logic of genesis corresponds to a teleological thinking with reference to a model of generation. As in the case of the development of a seed into a plant, this model treats every succession as a continuous process, which one can trace back to its initial, embryonic form. Althusser finds this way of idealist thinking to be dominant not only in idealisms, but also in materialisms, Marxism included. The reconceptualization of Althusser’s work from this perspective, which puts him in a broader context than that of structuralism or post-Marxism, allows for a new axis to reevaluate his relationship with Hegel and Marx and his specific type of materialism. I begin my inquiry with Althusser’s early writings, which are positioned in post-war return to Hegel in France, in a battlefield, which is defined by two fronts: the philosophies of the concept and the philosophies of intuition. Then, I proceed with Althusser’s mature works, which I read as a critique of a conceptual society that logic of genesis operates in and as attempts to develop an alternative conceptual society through his well-known concepts such as overdetermination, structure in dominance or invisible time. This context is a preparation for a discussion of why Althusser thinks there cannot be a Hegelian politics and the importance of contingency for conceiving political practice.Item Kant‘s conception of conscience and reflexive judgment(Thesis (Ph.D.)-Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in the Social Sciences, 2018., 2018.) Eldem, Umut.; Westphal, Kenneth R.This dissertation consists of an explanation and interpretation of Kant‘s concept of conscience. By a detailed examination of Kant‘s Critical writings, I aim to show what roles the concept of conscience plays in his moral theory. This requires analyzing certain moral and cognitive concepts and principles as they relate to the phenomenon of conscience. Kant‘s account of rational judgment, especially in its reflexive aspect, is of vital importance for this project, as is his conception of the moral law, freedom of the will and our form of sensibly affected rational agency. After a general overview of Kant‘s philosophy which explains these concepts, I look at two important sources in order to reconstruct Kant‘s conception of conscience: the Lecture Notes on Ethics and the Metaphysics of Morals. Afterwards, I focus on issues that are related to our everyday understanding of the conscience, such as religious convictions, personal integrity, moral imputation and sincerity. The culmination of the dissertation consists in a discussion of Kant‘s ideas on moral education and how conscience could be cultivated. The literature on Kant‘s conception of conscience has not explored its intricate relations with sensibility, reflexive judgment and religion. My thesis is an attempt to fill this gap. The elaboration of the concept of conscience, along with the explication of the concept of moral character, can bring together Kant‘s various text on moral philosophy into a systematic unity, which would be attuned to a comprehensive moral education.Item Reconsidering rawls: justice and solidarity(Thesis (Ph.D.)-Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in the Social Sciences, 2015., 2015.) Yücel, Tuğba Sevinç.; Thorpe, Lucas.The aim of the present thesis is to explore the solidaristic foundations of Rawls’ liberal theory of justice. Critics commonly argue that Rawls neglects solidarity and civic bonds, and adopts an individualistic perspective. I argue that the ready dismissal of critics of the possibility of solidarity in Rawls’ works lies in their identification of community and solidarity. Communitarians view civic solidarity as essentially rooted in the tacit solidarities already in place in society, and conclude that only by facilitating these already-existing bonds and attachments can civic bonds in society be strengthened. In this respect, I argue that, Rawls’ communitarian critics ignore the two central activities of citizens that Rawls endorses: “the productive activity” and “the activity of political participation” and how these activities could foster citizens’ solidarity. In this vein, I argue that two distinct kinds of solidarity can be detected and developed in A Theory of Justice: democratic and economic solidarity. I argue that in A Theory of Justice, Rawls conceives of citizens as active contributors to the joint social product. “The difference principle” requires inequalities benefiting the least advantaged and as such it expresses the solidarity of the least and most advantaged economic classes in society. And, democratic solidarity, for Rawls, is generated by citizens' desire to establish and sustain just democratic institutions.Item On the nature of the semantics-pragmatics distinction(Thesis (Ph.D.) - Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in the Social Sciences, 2020., 2020.) Polat, Mustafa.; Soyhun, Karanfil.In linguistics and philosophy; syntax, semantics, and pragmatics are typically held to characterize some complementary yet distinct aspects (i.e. explanans) in a language with respect to some related significance (i.e. explanandum) such as meaning, language comprehension, communication, and cognition. In the last decades, the question of how to draw the semantics-pragmatics distinction in a principled way has become one of the most noteworthy, but equally most contentious, question in philosophy of language and in philosophy of linguistics. This dissertation questions the nature and the extent of the endeavors for drawing the distinction in a principled way in order that it outlines methodological warrants for a better understanding of the distinction. In this respect, the dissertation argues for the deflationary stance which contends that semantics and pragmatics are stipulative categories under which more fundamental theories underlying them are trivially abridged. For this matter, the dissertation critically analyzes the object-level interpretations of the distinction on the basis of some assumptions (derivativeness, integrity, autonomy, sharpness, and cursiveness) and the assumption schema (the Aspect Distinction Assumption) on which these object-level interpretations typically rest. Accordingly, the dissertation takes issue with the substantiality of the distinction by deflating its alleged significance in substantivizing some adopted explanandum about a given language.Item Common nouns and rigidity(Thesis (Ph.D.)-Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in the Social Sciences, 2014., 2014.) Şişkolar, Cem.; İnan, İlhan.The principal question addressed is whether there is a division among common nouns which is similar to a familiar division among noun phrases that designate particular-level individuals: the one which is captured in the relevant literature as the difference between de jure rigid and not de jure rigid singular terms. In relation with the previous philosophical literature relevant to noun rigidity it is argued that the extant positions on the matter are not defended on the basis of well-founded syntactic categories and proper semantic arguments. Proper ways to argue for rigidity ascriptions to nouns are described. Then, such arguments are sought for the case of rigid/non-rigid division among count common nouns. It is shown that there are plausible, albeit inconclusive, reasons to hold that among common nouns (N-bar expressions) only simple common nouns are kind designators, and that if that is the case these simple common nouns will have to be reckoned as de jure rigid designators.Item The sublime and its environmental implications(Thesis (Ph.D.)-Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in the Social Sciences, 2018., 2018.) Dönmez, Damla.; Fritsche, Johannes.This research is about the concept of sublime and its environmental ethical implications. I claim that sublime, as an aesthetic concept, is helpful to give us moral motivation for the preservation of nature. We have a peculiar dual relation with nature; it is both an Other and an extended Self. Hence, I claim sublime is a specific aesthetic concept that can endow us with ethical tools to face this peculiar dual relation with its character of causing both pleasure and displeasure. First, with its displeasure effect, it can point to the otherness of Nature and induce (1) humility and (2) respect and second, with its pleasurable effect, it can lead to a concept of selfhood that can expand to include all nature which would create (1) attentiveness/sensitivity and (2) compassion/love. The objections against sublime fall into five different categories, (1) practical, it is not functioning as it promises, (2) epistemological, it is epistemologically inaccessible, (3) historical, it is an outdated concept that has no relevance in the contemporary agenda, (4) metaphysical, sublime is same with religious experience and (5) ethical, sublime is self-regarding, anthropocentric. Against these I defend sublime that (1) it is a humble concept not aiming to solve all the environmental problems once and for all but only trying to enrich our aesthetic and ethical agenda, (2) sublime is a concept of language trying to bridge the gap between the world and us, (3) nature is the original sublime and it can never be exhausted, (4) sublime is aesthetic and secular, with no necessary dependence on a divine being and (5) sublime is not anthropocentric, centered on humans, but anthropogeneric, generated by humans.Item Reconsidering the distinction between community and society and the possibility of unity in civil society(Thesis (Ph.D.)-Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in the Social Sciences, 2017., 2017.) Çil, Dilek Arlı.; Silier, Yıldız.The aim of this thesis is to show that unity is possible in civil society. In the literature on the distinction between community and civil society, community is conceived as containing positive social relations which provide unity among the members, but society is conceived as containing negative relations which promotes isolation and alienation. I argue that this conception depends on Tönnies’ distinction between community and society. In Community and Civil Society, he characterizes community with acquaintanceship, sympathy and confidence; and society with strangeness, antipathy and mistrust. This distinction gives rise to the idea that by the emergence of society, community or what is valuable in community is lost. Heidegger adopts this idea, and he argues that we should revitalize what was there before, namely, communal relations. And this idea leads him to a nationalist course. Hegel, on the other hand, revises the distinction between community and society, and he conceives society as having both negative and positive characteristics. He argues that genuine unity can be developed in society through mutual recognition provided in the corporations. In this thesis, it is argued that Hegel’s conception of society and the theory of mutual recognition might be helpful in showing that unity can be developed within society, but his theory of the corporation is not adoptable today. The analysis of Hegel’s conception of society and the theory of recognition reveals the need for a new kind of community in philosophy and politics. For this reason, new social movements are considered in terms of their potential to function in place of Hegel’s corporations today.