I completed my MA and PhD at the Philosophy Department of Boğaziçi University. My main areas of research are history of philosophy, social and political philosophy, and moral philosophy. My dissertation was on Kant's account of conscience, so I had to work through most of Kant's texts. He is my favorite philosopher because he revolutionized the philosophical scene in Europe and still continues to be influential to this day. He was one of the first philosophers to work out a comprehensive system which integrates several areas of philosophy, and he has given me a remarkable sense of what philosophy can be.
Thank you Mr Wynn P Wheldon for such a significant question! Michel Foucault wrote extensively on this subject. My answer will be based on some of his insights. First let us understand what is meant by the word “humane”. We usually mean “merciful”, which implies that somehow incarceration is a “softer” kind of punishment than […]
Is incarceration more humane than corporal punishment? Read More
Thank you Nderhe Paulin for such an incendiary question! The way you have asked the question assumes, first, that humans have chosen to reduce themselves to the state of an animal and, second, that they should not have done so. I assume this is not a positive choice, since your use of the word “reduce”
Why has man chosen to reduce himself to the state of an animal? Read More
Thank you, Dylan Atkin, for such a crucial question. In order to answer this question, we need a conception of a “sound mind”. Do we mean a person who is in full control of their cognitive capacities? Or someone who is emotionally stable? Or someone who holds the appropriate values and attitudes that we expect
Can one be simultaneously suicidal and sound of mind? Read More
Thank you, Gum Makur Gum, for such a perennial question! What does it mean to exist? Until Kant, many philosophers thought that existence was a property of a substance, much like color, weight, mass, etc. Saying that “This flower is red” was similar to saying that “This flower exists”, meaning that the flower had the
It seems we mostly create the systems afterwards to justify whatever outcomes we want. Thank you, Ben Horspool, for a significant question. It is certainly true that we do our utmost to justify our choices and aims. A lot of time and effort is spent trying to fit our choices and actions to a moral
Does anyone actually follow moral systems? Read More
Thank you, Curtis L. Delyn, for such a significant question. It is generally agreed that Plato came up with the classical definition of knowledge as “justified true belief”. This has been incredibly influential; many philosophers have accepted some form of this definition by filling in the relevant concepts with various theories and interpretations. Here, truth
Can we ever really trust that we know anything? Read More
Thank you, Daniel Riggins, for a significant question, one that concerns all teachers and students of philosophy. Let me begin with a word of caution: I shall be discussing only Western philosophy, since that is my area of expertise. I cannot comment on philosophical traditions from different parts of the world, simply because I lack
How should philosophy be introduced? Read More
Thank you, Darlan Campos, for an interesting question! Beauty is usually deemed to be a superficial virtue in light of the fact that it is rarely everlasting and only gives rise to but an instance of aesthetic pleasure. The experience of beauty is incredibly short and seems to have no long-lasting effect. Natural beauty always
Thank you, Cameron Tait, for such a significant question! The phrase “we are being taught” already suggests a system of values at work. These values are promulgated via education, entertainment, political discourse, artists, pundits etc. Each society produces and propagates its own values, principles, habits, prejudices and so on. A quick glance at history shows
Why are we taught that success means being wealthy? Read More
