Answering the question on the minds of young people during the university preference period, “Why should I go to university?”, Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences Prof. Deniz Ülke Kaynak said: “In fact, if you ask ‘Why should we go to university?’ my answer is that we should go to break the mold.”
Emphasizing that artificial intelligence is a tool and not a goal, Prof. Kaynak stated: “Everyone must know how to use artificial intelligence. Instead of fearing technology, it is important to use it correctly, productively, and without causing harm. The only thing you should fear is falling behind.”
Prof. Deniz Ülke Kaynak, Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at Üsküdar University, responded to the question on the minds of young people during the university selection period: “Why should I go to university?”
Why should we go to university?
Prof. Kaynak, who stated “We should go to university to break the mold,” explained: “The knowledge and ideas that shape our worldview are imposed from above. They constantly break down the patterns in our mental world and fill them with something else. In my opinion, the most important aspect of a university education is that by gaining very different systems of thought at the same time, you gain the ability not to allow others to shape your mind so easily.”
A university should have a vision, a philosophy, and be open to critical thinking
Highlighting that acquiring information is a separate matter, Prof. Kaynak continued: “You can obtain information from Google, ChatGPT, from everywhere. However, being able to sift through that information has become much more important because there is also dirty information and false information. Being able to process information with a critical perspective, to derive meaning from all the data you gather, and to turn it into a product requires education. Knowledge without education may be of no use to you. However, if you learn through an educational process how to use knowledge, this is the most important step in moving from being self-taught to being formally educated. First, you must select the information, because there is also toxic information being spread. A lot of it is released just to poison your mind, make you think wrong things, make you pessimistic, or even dull your thinking. How will you make yourself different, privileged, and productive from within all that information? And how will you add meaning to life? The real issue is whether you are adding meaning to the time you spend on this planet. That is why receiving such an education, being exposed to different viewpoints and blending them together, is very important. It is not easy to gain this outside of a university.
What matters is that the university has a proper vision and a philosophy. It must be a place open to critical thinking. Our Founding Rector, Prof. Nevzat Tarhan, always says the same thing: ‘This place is like the United Nations. There must be people from all kinds of viewpoints.’ To me, this seems like the only place where the academic staff can openly criticize the owner of the university. Our academics can say whatever they want. We extend this freedom to our students as well.”
The mean world syndrome and stolen hopes
Stating that there is something called the "mean world syndrome”, Prof. Kaynak said: “In the twentieth century, two world wars, the Cold War, ethnic conflicts, and terrorism caused 150 to 200 million people to lose their lives for political reasons. People experienced hunger, misery, and crises. The average life expectancy was 50 to 70 years. Yet people were not as pessimistic as they are today. Now we tell young people: You will live 120 years, and you will live healthily. We will solve the biggest diseases. Thanks to artificial intelligence, you will work for shorter periods and have more opportunities to improve yourself. However, young people are so pessimistic, so unhappy and hopeless. Why? Because we are constantly fed the message that this world is bad. Social media has brought this into our lives. However, the world is not like that. We must also learn how to look at it. Perhaps we are living in the very age when we should be most hopeful. At university, you need to learn hope, to overcome hopelessness, to add meaning to life, to find good things within bad things, and to resist. Of course, university will also give you a profession. However, students should know that skills and abilities are as important as the profession itself. I have reached this age, and I still take artificial intelligence courses and try to learn coding. Because the world is heading in a different direction. Without understanding this, I no longer think it is possible to grasp international relations.”
Do not be afraid of artificial intelligence, be afraid of falling behind
Emphasizing that artificial intelligence is a tool and not a goal, Prof. Kaynak said: "It is a tool that will make many professions easier and, depending on how you use it, can contribute greatly to you. This term, I told my students, ‘You will prepare your final assignment using ChatGPT.’ This is not a cheating system. Everyone must know how to use artificial intelligence. Those who do not know how to use it will be less intelligent, but those who know how to use it will go to space. Instead of fearing technology, it is important to use it correctly, productively, and without causing harm. The only thing you should fear is falling behind. Be afraid of being afraid. I tell young people, ‘Dive right in, you are the early movers of this system.’ Because you were born into something we are trying to learn. Our age group should be the ones afraid. Why are young people afraid? Creating a better world is their mission. I trust young people, and I am disturbed by the fact that our age group constantly criticizes them. I think we have some jealousy.”
The vision of Üsküdar University Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
Prof. Kaynak said that they are an interdisciplinary faculty where all departments work together: "We have departments of Psychology, Political Science and International Relations, Sociology, History, Philosophy, Translation and Interpreting, and this year we opened the Management Information Systems department. We act with the understanding that neither social sciences alone nor engineering alone are sufficient, and we work hand in hand with our Faculty of Engineering. We have a colorful faculty with high student satisfaction and a pleasant environment. Faculty members and students are intertwined. We also have a lot of fun. We welcome summer, we welcome winter, we do them all. Because joy is at the center of life. Joy is the source of productivity. From sulkiness, pessimism, and anger, nothing comes out. Joy, vitality, energy, solidarity; all of these are oriented toward hope.”
Positive psychology and mental resilience
"Positive psychology is our brand value" said Prof. Kaynak, adding: "Looking at the world positively and making positive meaning of it. Because there is a very intense negative bombardment. According to a report by the Brookings Institution, the amount of money spent globally on mental health problems is 5 trillion dollars, and it is estimated that this figure will rise to 16 trillion dollars by 2030. It is clear that there is a bombardment. There is a great depression, a great epidemic of hopelessness. It is also important to be able to create a resilient society against this. As a university, we do not want our students to be unhappy and hopeless. I think this pumping of pessimism is an intelligence operation. When people lose their hope, they turn the search for happiness toward pills, drugs, and meaningless connections. In order to resist this, it is important to understand it and interpret it.”
Message to prospective students
Addressing prospective students, Prof. Kaynak concluded her remarks as follows: "You have come to a very important stage in your life choices. Undoubtedly, every choice is a renunciation. You may make wrong choices; at every stage of your life, you have the alternative of giving up and setting out again. However, if you think carefully and choose a university suitable for your career, abilities, and character, you will save time. I wish you all successful and healthy choices. May you have a beautiful life. Above all, be human. However, by human, I do not mean greedy, gluttonous people who demand everything and prefer pleasures over happiness. I mean people who can add positive meanings to life and can pursue true humanity. First, be that kind of person. A person who can behave like a real human being.”
Üsküdar News Agency (ÜNA)