Bioethics education has remarkably grown across the globe in the last few decades. The data of the UNESCO Global Ethics Observatory proves that bioethics education is a global phenomenon with various bioethics institutions, teaching programs, and academicians. However, this situation does not mean that bioethics education has reached a stable and flawless level. Especially, the effectiveness of bioethics programs or their quality assessment is a major area that should be analyzed through more academic works. For filling that gap, this article (...) aims to formulate a general framework to address the quality standards and indicators in bioethics education. The article adapts Donabedian’s three approaches—structure, process, and outcome— as three levels to measure quality in bioethics education. The proposed model considers the indicators the ultimate quantifiable points by creating a sequential classification as the three levels, main categories, standards, and indicators, which means that it applies an inductive approach following a path from the indicators to the standards, from the standards to the main categories, and from the main categories to the levels in order to reach a conclusion about the effectiveness of each level. (shrink)

Modern bilimin kuruluş sürecinde, Grek menşeli atomcu felsefenin bir etkisinin olup-olmadığı ya da olduysa hangi bakımlardan olduğu bir tartışma konusudur. Söz gelimi E. Burtt, A. Koyré ve T. Kuhn gibi bilim filozofları, modern bilimin kuruluşunda atomcu felsefenin, bariz bir etkisinin olmadığını ileri sürerlerken, A. Chalmers ve D.C. Lindberg gibi düşünürler ise belirli bir düzeyde etkisinin olduğunu iddia etmişlerdir. Bu çalışmanın amacı, modern bilimin oluşum sürecinde Grek menşeli atomcu öğretinin ne türden bir etki ve öneme sahip olduğunu araştırmaktır. Bu maksatla öncelikle (...) Grek menşeli atomcu öğretinin temel görüş ve tezleri, kısaca ortaya konulmuş daha sonra bu görüşlerin tarihsel süreç içerisindeki seyri betimlenmiş ve nihayetinde bu öğretinin modern dönemde özellikle de P. Gassendi, R. Boyle ve I. Newton gibi düşünürler üzerinde ne türden bir etkisinin olduğu ortaya konulmuştur. Nihayetinde modern bilimi nihai formuna ulaştıran düşünürün I. Newton olduğu kabul edildiğinde, Epikuros üzerinden alınan atomcu öğretinin, Newtoncu bilim tasarımını oldukça şekillendirdiği söylenebilir. (shrink)

When the complete human genomehas been sequenced, everyone of us will becomea potential candidate for genetic counselingand testing. Within a short period of timeeveryone will obtain his personal geneticpassport identifying deleterious andsusceptibility genes. With the availability ofpresymptomatic tests for late-onset disordersand the possibilities of prevention andtreatment, the conflict between directivenessand non-directiveness will dominate thecounseling setting. Despite general consent onproviding genetic information in a nondirectivefashion to preserve value neutrality andenhance client's autonomy, there is no acceptedcommon definition of what non-directivenessreally is or (...) ought to be. The article tries toelaborate some aspects which might be fruitfuland clarifying in the complex issues involvedin the black box of genetic counseling. (shrink)

The principle of respect for autonomy requires informing patients adequately and appropriately about diagnoses, treatments, and prognoses. However, some clinical cases may cause ethical dilemmas regarding telling the truth. Under the existence especially of certain cultural, social, and religious circumstances, disclosing all the relevant information to all pertinent parties might create harmful effects. Even though the virtue of telling the truth is unquestionable, sometimes de facto conditions compel physicians to act paternalistically to protect the patient/patients from imminent dangers. This article, (...) which aims to study the issue of whether a physician should always tell the truth, analyzes an interesting case that represents the detection of misattributed paternity during pre-transplant tests for a kidney transplant from the son to the father in Turkey, where social, cultural, and religious factors have considerable impact on marital infidelity. After analyzing the concept of telling the truth and its relationship with paternalism and two major ethical theories, consequentialism and deontology, it is concluded that the value of the integrity of life and survival overrides the value of telling the truth. For this reason, in the case of a high possibility of severe and imminent threats, withholding some information is ethically justifiable. (shrink)

This book explores the implications of agonistic democratic theory for political practice. Fuat Gürsözlü argues that at a time when political parties exacerbate political division, political protesters are characterized as looters and terrorists, and extreme partisanship and authoritarian tendencies are on the rise, the agonistic approach offers a much-needed rethinking of political practice to critically understand challenges to democracy and envision more democratic, inclusive, and peaceful alternatives. Inspired by Chantal Mouffe’s agonistic theory and drawing on insights of other prominent (...) agonistic scholars, Gürsözlü offers a distinctive approach that develops the connections between the agonistic approach and political practice. His main claim is that approaching democratic politics from an agonistic perspective changes the way we understand the nature of democratic society, the place of political protest in democracy, the nature of adversarial engagement, and the democratic function of political parties. The book also advances an account of agonistic peace that is best fitted to the pluralistic and inherently conflictual nature of democratic societies. This book should be of interest to anyone working in the field of contemporary political theory, political philosophy, peace studies, and philosophy of peace. (shrink)

Germany has just started a public debate on priority-setting, rationing and cost-effectiveness due to the cost explosion within the German health care system. To date, the costs for German health care run at 11,6 % of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP, 278,3 billion €) that represents a significant increase from the 5,9 % levels present in 1970. In response, the German Parliament has enacted several major and minor legal reforms over the last three decades for the sake of cost containment (...) and maintaining stability of the health care system. The Statutory Health Insurance—SHI (Gesetzliche Krankenversicherung—GKV) is based on the fundamental principle of solidarity and provides an ethical and legal framework for implementing equity, comprehensiveness and setting the principles and rules for financing and providing health care services and benefits. Within the SHI system, several major actors can be identified: the Federal Ministry of Health, the 16 state ministries of health, the Federal Joint Committee (G-BA), the physicians (with their associations) and the hospitals (with their organizations) on the provider side, and the sickness funds with their associations on the purchasers’ side. This article reviews the structure and complexities of the German health care system with its major players and participants. The focus will be put on relevant ethical, legal and economic aspects for prioritization, rationalization, rationing and cost-effectiveness of medical benefits and services. In conclusion, this article pleads for open discussion on the challenging subject of priority-setting instead of accepting the implicit and non-transparent rationing of medical services that currently occurs at many different levels within the health care system, as it stands today. (shrink)

Bu çalışmanın amacı Thomas Kuhn’un bilimsel ilerleme kavrayışının tarihsel süreç içerisinde nasıl değişip ve dönüştüğünü ortaya koymaktır. Kuhn’un 1962 yılında yayınladığı Bilimsel Devrimlerin Yapısı adlı eser, bilim camiasında büyük bir etki yaratır. Hatta bazı çevreler, bu eserle birlikte pozitivist ve realist bilim anlayışlarının tamamen ortadan kalktığını yerine yepyeni bir bilim tasarımının geçtiğini ilan ederler. Kuhn’un bu eserinde ileri sürdüğü en etkili iddialardan birisi de geleneksel birikimsel ilerleme anlayışını reddetmesi, yerine devrimsel ilerlemeyi öne sürmesiydi. Fakat Kuhn süreç içerisinde kendisine yöneltilen eleştirileri (...) bertaraf etmek için görüşlerinde birtakım değişikliğe gider. Kuhn bu değişiklikler sonucunda da ilk etapta savunduğu bilimsel ilerleme anlayışından sapar. Neticede, Kuhn’un 1980 sonrası eserleri dikkate alındığında, onun Bilimsel Devrimlerin Yapısında ileri sürdüğü devrimsel ilerleme anlayışından uzaklaşıp, Darwinci anlamda evrimsel ilerlemeye yaklaştığı görülmüştür. Ayrıca Kuhn’un bu revizyonlarının sonucunda ilk etapta radikal bir şekilde eleştirdiği pozitivist ve realist bilim anlayışlarına belirli bir düzeyde geri dönüş yaptığı da söylenebilir. (shrink)

Healthcare services should be provided according to contemporary ethical norms that require patients’ active engagement in all the relevant processes. However, authoritarian attitudes and behaviors in healthcare, one of which is paternalism, put patients in a passive role. But, as Avedis Donabedian emphasizes, patients are co-producers of care, reformers of healthcare, informants, and definers and evaluators of quality. Overlooking these significant functions and merely focusing on physicians’ benevolence due to their medical knowledge and skills in the production of healthcare services (...) would leave the fate of patients in the hands of clinicians and impose physicians’ hegemony on patients and their choices. Nevertheless, the concept of co-production is a practical and effective mechanism to redefine the language used in healthcare by recognizing patients as co-producers and equal partners. The application of co-production in healthcare would improve the therapeutic relationship, decrease ethical violations, and promote the patient’s dignity. (shrink)

Compassion is an essential phenomenon in the therapeutic relationship, and some use it to justify physician-assisted dying practices. The value of compassion in the relationship between healthcare professionals and patients is undeniable. However, different approaches to its definition and scope can lead to distinct conclusions about the role of compassion in end-of-life interventions. In this context, the paper aims to compare Mahatma Gandhi’s and Aristotle’s views on compassion to explore whether it can be utilized to justify physician-assisted dying. Gandhi’s thoughts (...) on compassion and Aristotle’s standpoint on virtues and vices demonstrate that Gandhi evaluates this concept as a moral duty to relieve intractable suffering, whereas Aristotle relies on balancing all virtues through relevant deficiencies and excesses. Therefore, even though Gandhi’s opinion on compassion can for allow assisted dying interventions, Aristotle’s idea of virtues and vices restricts compassion to a scope that alleviates suffering through available means without causing death. (shrink)

The case, which occurred in a public hospital in Turkey in 2005, exhibits a striking dilemma between a mother’s and her fetus’ interests. For a number of reasons, the mother refused to cooperate with the midwives and obstetrician in the process of giving birth, and wanted to leave the hospital. The care providers evaluated the case as a matter of maternal autonomy and asked the mother to give her consent to be discharged from the hospital, which she did despite the (...) fact that her cervix was fully open. She left the hospital and gave birth shortly thereafter. Subsequently, the baby died two days later. In light of the contemporary ethical principles, the mother’s competency could be debatable due to the physical and psychological conditions the mother confronted. Furthermore, protection of the fetus’ life should have been taken into account by the caregivers when making a decision concerning discharging of the mother. (shrink)

Kidney transplantation is a lifesaving medical treatment. However, very high demand for kidneys with low kidney donation causes a black market that exploits patients’ desperation and donors’ vulnerability. The current kidney donation programs fail to produce promising results to avoid illegal and unethical kidney trafficking and commercialism. Even though the primary goal of kidney donation is to increase the number of deceased organ donations, in some countries, like Turkey, due to religious or cultural concerns, it is impossible to supply adequate (...) deceased kidney donations. In this view, the aim of this paper is to examine kidney trafficking in the scope of Turkey's current organ donation system and propose a new model, named the Incentivized Kidney Donation Model (IKDM), to increase kidney donation from living donors. The model encompasses the following benefits offered to kidney donors; lifetime health insurance, exemptions from copayments/contribution shares, priority when receiving an organ, priority when finding a job, income tax exemptions for salaried employees, and free or discounted public utilities. This normative model has the potential to promote donors’ altruistic acts as well as the solidarity and loyalty among members of a society without violating ethical values and internationally accepted principles. (shrink)

Authorship Analysis (AA) is a natural language processing field that examines the previous works of writers to identify the author of a text based on its features. Studies in authorship analysis include authorship identification, authorship profiling, and authorship verification. Due to its relevance, to many applications in this field attention has been paid. It is widely used in the attribution of historical literature. Other applications include legal linguistics, criminal law, forensic investigations, and computer forensics. This paper aims to provide an (...) overview of the work done and the techniques applied in the authorship analysis domain. The examination of recent developments in this field is the principal focus. Many different criteria can be used to define a writer’s style. This paper investigates stylometric features in different author-related tasks, including lexical, syntactic, semantic, structural, and content-specific ones. A lot of classification methods have been applied to authorship analysis tasks. We examine many research studies that use different machine learning and deep learning techniques. As a means of pointing the direction for future studies, we present the most relevant methods recently proposed. The reviewed studies include documents of different types and different languages. In summary, due to the fact that each natural language has its own set of features, there is no standard technique generically applicable for solving the AA problem. (shrink)

Osmanlı tefsir birikimi henüz yeterince aydınlatılabilmiş değildir. Son zamanlarda yapılan ilmî çalışmalarla bu kapalılık kısmen giderilmeye çalışılmış, fakat bu çabalar hâlihazırda istenen düzeye gelebilmiş değildir. Buradan hareketle çalışmamızda son devir Osmanlı âlimlerinden biri olan Manastırlı İsmail Hakkı’nın (1846-1912) pek bilinmeyen bir tefsir usûlü çalışması olan Fusûlu’t-teysîr fî usûli’t-tefsîr isimli eseri üzerinde duracağız. Bu eser Manastırlı İsmail Hakkı’nın, Mekteb-i Mülkiye-i Şâhâne’nin (Siyasal Bilgiler Fakültesi) birinci sınıfında okuyan öğrencilere ders kitabı olarak okutulmak üzere hazırlamış olduğu bir tefsir usûlü çalışmasıdır. Araştırmamızda Osmanlı dönemi (...) tefsir usûlü çalışmaları bağlamında, müstakil olarak tefsir usûlüne dair kaleme alınmış eserler içerisinde değerlendirebileceğimiz bu çalışmanın sistematiği, muhtevası ve kaynakları üzerinde durulacaktır. Bu vesileyle bir Osmanlı âliminin tefsir usûlü geleneğine katkısı tartışılacak ve bir nebze de olsa Osmanlı dönemi tefsir usûlü çalışmalarının seyrine ışık tutulacaktır. (shrink)

Bütün zamanların en büyük filozoflarından birisi şüphesiz Platon’dur. Onun varlık, bilgi, etik, estetik ve siyaset gibi alanlara ilişkin yapmış olduğu özgün çalışmalar, çağdaşlarını etkilediği gibi Orta çağ, Yeniçağ ve Yakınçağ üzerinden geçerek, günümüzde dahi birçok düşünür ve akımın şekillenmesinde önemli bir rol oynar. Bu noktada Platon’un doğaya ve doğa bilimlerine yönelik görüşleri de önemli olmakla birlikte tartışma konusu olmuştur. Söz gelimi, pozitivist düşünürler Platoncu felsefenin doğa bilimlerine yönelik olumsuz bir tutumunun olduğunu dolayısıyla da bu felsefenin modern doğa bilimlerinin oluşum ve (...) gelişim süreçlerini engellediğini iddia ederler. Buna karşın 20. Yüzyılın başlarından itibaren E.A.Burtt, A.Koyre ve T. Kuhn gibi bazı düşünürler ise Platoncu felsefenin, modern doğa bilimlerinin gelişiminde belirleyici bir rol oynadığını ileri sürerler. Bu birbirine karşıt iddialar dikkate alındığında, Platoncu felsefenin doğa bilimlerine yönelik tutumunun gerçekte ne olduğu bir merak konusu olmaktadır. Dolayısıyla bu çalışmanın amacı, Platon felsefesi içerisinde doğa bilimlerinin yeri ve öneminin ne olduğunu ve bunun bilhassa modern doğa bilimlerinin oluşum ve gelişimine ne bakımdan bir etkisinin olduğunu incelemektir. Nihayetinde bilimsel etkinliğin metafiziksel yönü esas alındığında Platoncu ve Yeni Platoncu felsefelerin modern bilimin oluşumunda belirleyici bir rol oynadığı söylenebilir. (shrink)

The chapter explores Johan Galtung’s theory of cultural violence from the perspective of a hegemony centered account of the social. It argues that once we take hegemony as a central organizing idea of the social, it becomes possible to recognize the limits of Galtung’s account of cultural violence and why his response to it remains weak. It defends a politics of contestation and a politics of disruption as possible ways to counter the risks introduced by cultural violence.

The Triumph of Liberal Democratic Peace and the Dangers of Its Success” provides an overview of the “liberal democratic peace theory” that is associated with Kant and has been developed by Doyle and other contemporary scholars. The chapter examines the problem of wars that are fought in the name of democracy and the way that the liberal democratic peace theory can end up encouraging military interventions. It argues that a careful understanding of the Kantian democratic peace theory can resist the (...) urge to intervene. It employs Galtung’s notion of cultural violence to provide a critique of interventionist peace action. It concludes by advising that we work to find a way to build bridges between democracies and non-democracies. (shrink)

The paper considers the democratic value of the recent public sphere movements—from Occupy Wall Street to Taksim Gezi Park, from Tahrir Square to Sofia. It argues that the mainstream models of democracy fail to grasp the significance of these movements and the emergent political forms within these movements due to their narrow account of politics and democracy. To fully grasp the democratic value of recent public sphere movements, we should approach them from an agonistic perspective. Once democratic politics is viewed (...) from an agonistic perspective, it becomes possible to recognize that while expressing their critique of existing liberal democratic institutions, the recent public sphere movements contested the dominant understanding of democracy and staged an alternative vision of democracy, democratic culture, and new forms of citizenship. (shrink)