Prof. Nevzat Tarhan: "There is no despair, there are people who are hopeless”

President of Üsküdar University Psychiatrist Prof. Nevzat Tarhan attended the seminar titled "Psychology of Belief" organized in cooperation with Üsküdar University, Risale-i Nur Institute and Şekercihan Association. Speaking at the seminar, Tarhan noted that it is necessary to look not only at the material dimension of something, but also at the dimension of meaning. Answering the question of whether the world is getting worse, Tarhan added that he is hopeful for Generation Z. Using the expressions that the good will increase and the bad will increase, Tarhan stated that goodness has invisible helpers. Stating that goodwill and effort will not go unrewarded, Tarhan said that "There is no hopelessness, but there are hopeless people."

The "Psychology of Belief" seminar, organized by Üsküdar University, Risale-i Nur Institute and Şekercihan Association, took place at Çarşı Campus Emir Nebi Conference Hall.

"To look not only at the dimension of matter, but also at the dimension of meaning..."

Drawing attention to the importance of a spirituality-oriented understanding instead of materialism, Psychiatrist Prof. Nevzat Tarhan said that "It used to be thought that the earth was at the center and the sun revolved around it. Later, it was understood that the earth revolves around the sun. This was a change of perspective in science. However, the change mentioned here is more important than that, spirituality rather than materialism. Instead of a materialism-centered understanding of the universe, it is a spirituality-oriented, that is, meaning-oriented perspective. The word spirituality is derived from mana. Mana means meaning, while spirituality means semantics or semanticity. This means looking not only at the material dimension of something, but also at the meaning dimension. Currently, materialism represents a conception of science that treats meaning by name. However, the semantic sciences deal with meaning literally. Many scientific perspectives in developed countries have recognized this..."

"A transformation is taking place in this paradigm"

Giving an example from Maslow's Pyramid of Needs, Tarhan said that "In the classical approach, the highest need of man is determined as self-realization. At the bottom of the pyramid are physiological needs, the need for security, the need to belong, and the need to be loved. Then comes mental development, aesthetic needs, and self-actualization. However, in the late stages of his life, in the 1970s, Maslow added a new need to this pyramid and defined it as 'self-transcendence'. This refers to spiritual needs and the need to help others, and Maslow placed them at the top of the hierarchy of human psychosocial needs. This opinion was published in an article in 2017. However, the capitalist system emphasizes selfishness by promoting self-actualization, global competition, and narcissism. Nietzsche also says that helping others is associated with a culture of charity, which will increase operating costs. Nietzsche argues that humility is immaturity. This view has been one of the philosophical cornerstones of materialism. There is a transformation in this paradigm.”

What are the paths that lead to the truth?

Talking about the paths to the truth, Tarhan said that "The types of beliefs are very diverse. Everyone has a belief, and one of the paths to truth is faith. However, among the beliefs there are also mythological ones. These beliefs are beliefs that people accept, regardless of whether they actually exist or not. Another type is concrete beliefs. Such beliefs are associated with our five senses, and when a person says, for example, 'I believe in science,' it is a concrete belief. Because science is about proving and proving. Moral beliefs, on the other hand, are beliefs that are believed to be morally correct, but whose reality is not questioned. Such beliefs arise from the human need to be moral and are not usually justified. It is also included in traditional teachings. Then there are rational beliefs, which are based on the rules of logic, reasoning, and reasoning to believe that an abstract entity and empirical reality exist. The belief in monotheism is an example of this. That is, if there is a creator in the universe, it is the most appropriate belief that can be found by reasoning. Other beliefs are less plausible. For example, nature pantheism is not plausible. Especially after quantum, it is not possible at all. So, what are the paths that lead to the truth? These include experimentation and observation, methods of reasoning, and scientific methodology. Experimentation and observation are the basis of a scientific approach, but only one way. Other methods include deduction, induction, analogy, and reasoning methods such as abduction. For example, theoretical physics emerged with these methods."

“Through rational belief, we can find the existence of God and the existence of the hereafter."

Stating that those who have rational faith can find God, Tarhan said that "Rational intuition is a logic of probability related to modal logic, they call it modality logic. In other words, there are three different universes about how something is, that is, the actual universe, the possible universe, and the probable universe. The universe is the universe we live in right now. Is there a possibility of an earthquake here, for example? Yes, it is possible, but it is unlikely. Because if there had been an earthquake a few days ago, we would not be standing here now, we would be outside in a tent. According to this modal logic, there are three different categories of universes: the actual universe, the possible universe, and the possible universe. Meteorology also makes predictions and calculations based on this modal logic. This logic can be calculated mathematically. In rational logic, on the other hand, there is Fuzzy logic, which is the logic that artificial intelligence uses. Fuzzy logic is the calculated form of modal logic, so they call it fuzzy logic. Artificial intelligence also works with this logic. While classical Newtonian physics says black and white, yes or no, quantum physics, which works with fuzzy logic, does not say 'cold' and 'hot', it says that there are graded things such as less hot and less cold and makes these calculations. In the same way, we can find the existence of God and the existence of the Hereafter through rational belief. When you look at the works of Risale-i Nur, they do not say, 'Evolution is wrong, this is science.' Using their methods of reasoning, they say, ‘God must exist, there must be an afterlife.’ Risale-i Nur comes to these conclusions by using fuzzy logic and modal logic."

Man is aware that he is conscious...

Speaking about metacognitive genes, Tarhan said that "There is a gene that distinguishes humans from other living things, metacognitive genes. These genes are present in humans, but not in other living things. These are things about the search for meaning, knowing everything, asking, 'Why am I here? Where am I going? Why am I looking for absolute and unlimited freedom?' This is what humans have, and other living things do not. Other creatures are not conscious. They are not even aware that they are unconscious, but man is aware that they are conscious. Why? DNA is an inanimate thing. How does a living consciousness emerge from inanimate DNA? How is it that you put atoms together to form a body and there is consciousness? Moreover, this consciousness does not change. For example, the atoms in our body change in our skin in 20 days and in our whole body in 5-6 months. We become completely new materially, but our consciousness remains the same. You can move the data from the computer to another computer, but the 'self-consciousness' of the person is not carried anywhere else. It stays the same until you die.”

"This is where the inner peace of believing comes into play"

Drawing attention to the fact that the genes of the search for meaning lead to finding God, Tarhan said that "Human beings live in a state of heedlessness, interestingly, they do not think about death. It is actually a disease, a disease of worldliness, Vehn's disease. Fear of death, awareness of death is present in people, but it also spoils the taste of the whole mouth. Therefore, it is very difficult for a person to live this life if one does not prepare for the afterlife. However, one can live unaware. Imagine, you will die, and after death, the worms under the ground will eat you. What a sad truth. We all end up with our bodies falling prey to worms. It is inevitable. If you do not believe in the soul, you neglect this fact, but when you believe in the soul, you realize that the body is already a trust, and you surrender because it is the soul that is essential. This is where the inner peace of believing comes into play. There is another gene, research has been done on this subject, but it has not yet been proven. A person's love for the perfect, the beautiful and the strong, and valuing abstract things may be related to these genes. For example, people love perfection, Kemal. One loves beauty, Cemal. One loves the strong, Celal. One even loves the eternal, survival. These are in Allah's Asma-ul-Husna. Kemal, Cemal, Celal and Beka. Allah has given man a genetic equivalent of these names. These genes actually lead us to find God. These are what we call the comprehension-seeking genes. We were not just created to eat, drink, and reproduce. We have higher qualities, intellect and consciousness. It is very important for us to activate these genes."

"There is a blindness in Muslims like business blindness"

Stating that the Qur'an should be looked at from the right perspective, Tarhan said that "Now, if you ask someone, 'What is it that makes Allah known to us?' they usually say two things, the Qur'an and the hadiths, that is, the life of the Messenger of Allah. True, it is these two that tell us about God, but there is a third thing: the Book of the Universe. We do not read the book of the universe. The Holy Qur'an is not like that, but we do not look at it that way. Muslims have a blindness that is just like the business blindness that occurs in those who work in a company for a long time. In other words, they cannot see the Qur'an as it is, they cannot see it as the book of the universe. However, when they look at it through the eyes of the book of the universe, it is much easier for them to find God. The main issue here is how the universe was created and to look at the book of the universe from this perspective. This is exactly the paradigm developed by Risale-i Nur. When you carry this point of view to science, especially those who deal with positive sciences understand Bediuzzaman much better."

“According to Bediuzzaman, three critical variables..."

Drawing attention to the global increase in narcissism, Tarhan said that "According to Bediuzzaman, there are three critical variables and two terrifying situations. The first is secularism, secularism as a way of life, that is, worldism. The second is narcissism, which is actually related to the increase in one's sense of arrogance. The third is materialism. Ignorance that threatens social and spiritual life. The equivalent of this used to come from ignorance, now it comes from science. Narcissism is on the rise globally. Bediuzzaman called it the disease of worldliness, the disease of narcissism, the disease of selfishness. What is this? Indulging in civilization fantasies, he says. Secularism, narcissism and materialism… We need to find a cure for all three of these diseases. There are two terrible situations: first, that feeling prevails over reason and idea, and second, that the threat to religious life comes not from ignorance, but from knowledge."

The four main anxieties of the human being

Talking about the fears of existence according to Yalom, Tarhan said that "Yalom talks about four existential fears. It is all about the human theory of mind. The search for freedom, the search for meaning, the fear of death, and the fear of loneliness. These four make people depressed. These are the four basic anxieties of man. A person cannot be happy if they cannot find answers to them. Here, modernism is experiencing a crisis of civilization. Hedonism, narcissism, lack of empathy, loneliness, high eyesight, unhappiness, depression, suicide. This is the biggest crisis that the West is facing right now."

"There is no despair, there are hopeless people..."

Tarhan answered a question about young people getting worse and worse as follows: "Generation Z is criticized for being self-centered, but I am hopeful, I trust their cute, innocent and fair stance. Young people care a lot about the sense of justice. The good will increase and the bad will increase, but goodness has invisible helpers, if you have good intentions and effort, it will not go unrewarded, and this is called sincere commitment. Do not be pessimistic, do not think that artificial intelligence as there is digital power, evil is increasing. Numbers do not matter in this kind of thing. There is no despair, nut there are people who are hopeless. I trust the fair stance of Generation Z, I am hopeful about them..."

Tarhan talked about the types of religiosity...

Tarhan, who brought the subject to the ideas of religiosity and made certain evaluations, drew attention to three types of religiosities. Tarhan said that "The first of these is the profile of capitalist religiosity. One can lie freely even though one prays, and one does not give alms even though one gives alms, a person eats food considered haram even though one eats it with their right hand, they do not keep their word even though he fasts, they do not care about bribes and rightful share even though a person to the mosque. Secondly, if the surface religiosity exists, one is tormenting their wife at home or speaking against his husband everywhere. If one is merciless to others, their spouse and children, if one is not bothered by gossip. A person is formally religious with their dress. The third is the profile of unaware religiosity. One has good intentions, but the person tells white lies and does not realize that one loves the world more than God, they do not realize that their hidden idols are money, property, fame, children, professions and causes, they cannot see who their heart is attached to, and they do not live their life in accordance with the divine goal."

"There are six spiritual diseases"

Emphasizing the six spiritual diseases, Tarhan said, "There are six spiritual diseases. These are hopelessness, various types of narcissism, combative mentality, sectarianism, messianic culture, and the normalization of lying. The cure for these diseases is to know Allah through His attributes, which means addressing the deficiency of marifatullah (knowledge of Allah), providing the peace of heart that real faith brings to the youth, taking a stance against false religiosity, acquiring the morality of sincerity, experiencing the inner peace that faith brings, and living the security of being connected to Allah. Bediüzzaman said, 'Faith in unity, unity in submission, submission in trust, and trust in happiness in both worlds.'"

Üsküdar News Agency (ÜNA)