Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan: “Inequality is the situation that most disturbs social peace”
The Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of Üsküdar Üniversitesi organized the “Global Inequalities and Solution Proposals” Symposium. The symposium discussed international relations and economy, social inequalities, and gender equality.
Founding Rector of Üsküdar Üniversitesi, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, stated that inequality is the situation that most disturbs social peace. Tarhan said, “It also very negatively affects the individual’s inner world. The global consequences of this have begun to be seen seriously. Behind all this lies the inequality virus.”
Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Prof. Dr. Deniz Ülke Kaynak, stating that efforts should be made to eliminate inequality; “To the extent that our norm is the elimination of inequalities, we are obliged to make an effort for this. Equality does not mean that each of us is equal. There must be equality of opportunity. When we provide equality of opportunity, we can provide justice.” she said.
The symposium, held at the Üsküdar Üniversitesi South Campus Fuat Sezgin Conference Hall, was attended by Üsküdar Üniversitesi Founding Rector, Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences Prof. Dr. Deniz Ülke Kaynak, as well as faculty academics and students.
The opening speeches of the symposium were delivered by Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan and Prof. Dr. Deniz Ülke Kaynak.
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan: “The inequality virus brings forth global problems…”
Tarhan, pointing out that global problems emerge with the increase of the inequality virus; “Inequality is the situation that most disturbs social peace. It also very negatively affects the individual’s inner world. The global consequences of this have begun to be seen seriously. Psychiatric illnesses are increasing, crime is increasing, violence is increasing, suicide is increasing. People are investigating, ‘What is behind all this?’ They ask, ‘Is there a virus causing these?’ That virus is called the inequality virus. When people are not equal in rights and opportunities, after a while, the level of expectation changed and increased compared to before. Stress levels rose. The weak and the powerless are paying the price for this.” he said.
“Problems begin when there is no fair and sustainable resource sharing”
Tarhan, emphasizing the importance of resource utilization in equality of rights and opportunities; “There are not only monetary resources but also social resources, social capital, psychological capital. In resource management, you first set a goal, and then you draw a roadmap. Goals and strategies are determined. Then you look at your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. This is how you manage your resources. While doing this, there is input modulation, output modulation. You increase the input, enlarge the pool, increase the output. You share the output fairly and sustainably. This is where the problem begins when there is no fair and sustainable resource sharing.” he stated.
“The most important thing disturbing peace is the disruption of role and rights sharing”
Tarhan, noting the global increase in narcissistic individuals; “The most important thing disturbing peace is the disruption of role and rights sharing in the family and society. The disruption of rights sharing is unique to humans. It does not exist in animals. Animals eat and drink according to their genetic codes. For example, if a lion is full, it won't harm you unless you enter its security area, but humans are not like that. Humans are greedy, insatiable, ambitious, limitless. Such people have increased globally now. Narcissistic individuals have multiplied globally. These people disrupt global inequality. Greedy people's sense of rights is self-oriented. They only think of their own interests. They are insensitive and unemotional towards others. These have multiplied…” he said.
“Everyone should be equal in rights and opportunities”
Tarhan, emphasizing that people should be equal in rights and opportunities; “People are not born equal. Some are rich, some are poor. They say, ‘Geography is destiny.’ The phrase ‘Geography is destiny’ is widely misunderstood. Its role is 30-40 percent. 60-70 percent are changeable things. How can a child born into a wealthy family be equal to a child not born into such an environment? They are not equal. Not equal by birth, but all people are equal in rights and opportunities. This applies to those with sound minds. Some are born with disabilities but work so hard that they surpass everyone. These individuals are full of many success stories. Many differences emerge in their struggle against inequalities and injustices. Successes emerge. Therefore, everyone should be equal in rights and opportunities.” he said.
Prof. Dr. Deniz Ülke Kaynak: “It has been debated since Ancient Greece…”
Speaking on the concept of equality, Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences Prof. Dr. Deniz Ülke Kaynak said; “Equality is not a concept that is correctly understood. Equality and inequality have been debated since Ancient Greece. There are many debates stemming from Diogenes, Socrates, and Aristotle. Moreover, this concept often gets confused with other concepts. ‘Is equality equivalence?’ ‘Is it sameness?’ ‘Is it identity?’ ‘Is it similarity?’ ‘Is it justice?’ All of these continue to differentiate from one another. That is, sometimes to ensure justice, we need to provide unequal treatment. Sometimes what you define as equality is perceived as putting people into the same mold, but imposing the same statuses and categories on very different people. Therefore, these are concepts that can contradict each other greatly.” she stated.
“When we provide equality of opportunity, we can provide justice”
Kaynak, stating that efforts should be made to eliminate inequality; “To the extent that our norm is the elimination of inequalities, we are obliged to make an effort for this. Equality does not mean that each of us is equal. There must be equality of opportunity. When we provide equality of opportunity, we can provide justice. In other words, not allowing others to fall behind while gaining more opportunities is actually the most important step in the effort to eliminate inequality. After that, it will depend on talents, capacities, a bit of luck, and a bit of God’s help. Everything in the natural state inevitably makes people unequal in a way that disrupts equivalence. Eliminating inequality at our starting point means being able to start the race from an equal position. What happens next depends on the runner’s performance.” she said.
With the conclusion of the opening speeches, the sessions began.
Global economic inequalities discussed
Following the opening speeches, the first session titled “Global Economic Inequalities and Sustainable Peace” commenced. In the session, Prof. Dr. Havva Kök Arslan and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Haşmet Gökırmak from the Department of Political Science and International Relations (English) at Üsküdar Üniversitesi Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences discussed inequalities in the economy and their global impacts.
Global inequality addressed from a social perspective
The second session of the symposium began under the title “Global Social Inequalities - Education, Migration, and Housing.” In the session, Prof. Dr. Barış Erdoğan, Head of the Sociology Department at Üsküdar Üniversitesi Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Dr. Lecturer Ayşegül Balta Özgen from the Sociology Department, and Education Reform Initiative Policy Analyst Kayıhan Kesbiç addressed inequalities in a social context. The session highlighted the effects of global inequalities on education, and also emphasized issues of migration and housing.
Gender inequality also highlighted
In the third and final session of the symposium, “Gender Inequality” was discussed. In the session, Dr. Lecturer Nihan Kalkandeler Özdin, Assistant Dean of Üsküdar Üniversitesi Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Prof. Dr. Çiğdem Yazıcı, Head of the Philosophy Department at Üsküdar Üniversitesi Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, and Research Assistant Beril Sercem Şengül from the Psychology (English) Department at Üsküdar Üniversitesi Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences spoke about gender inequality. Suggestions for eliminating this inequality were discussed.
The symposium concluded with a group photo session after participants’ questions were answered.