Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan stated that as humanity civilizes, legal norms also emerge, saying, “If we live in a society, values such as respecting others' rights, not lying, and being honest are determined by social and moral norms.” Tarhan, who stated that every society has its own taboos and norms that differ according to culture, said, “Norms are values produced by humans. They can be classified as legal norms, social norms, and moral norms. Being honest and not lying even in a place unseen by anyone is part of moral norms.”
Founding Rector of Üsküdar Üniversitesi, Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, discussed the topics of human beings, the law of nature, and norms.
Philosophy and religion are also part of science
Prof. Dr. Tarhan stated that according to the old view, humans were considered a part of nature, adding, “However, this view has begun to change in recent years. Science consists of proven knowledge and knowledge pending proof. As the amount of proven knowledge increases today, the amount of knowledge pending proof decreases. It turns out that everything outside of science was once scientific. Philosophy and religion are also part of science. When we say that humans are a part of nature, we are then equating humans with nature. Humans have psychosocial needs. Humans have a spiritual structure and a material structure. There is a different spiritual structure that other living beings do not possess.”
Humans are not a part of nature
Prof. Dr. Tarhan pointed out that humans consist of two components: matter and spirit, saying, “The spirit is an invisible part beyond space and time, outside of matter. This is called religion. In our culture, in our belief system, there is a part in humans known as the spirit. When we examine the psychosocial needs of other living beings, it is eating, drinking, reproducing, sheltering... But when we examine the human spiritual structure and behavioral structure, there are four paths leading to truth beyond matter. The first is experiment and observation, the second is methods of reasoning, the third is rational intuition, and the fourth is rational belief. All four are paths leading to truth. When we use these paths, a truth emerges: humans are not a part of nature.”
Humans have a sense of freedom, liberty, and independence
Tarhan stated that humans tend to transcend nature, saying, “While other living beings adapt to nature, humans have a sense of freedom, liberty, and independence. This shows that humans possess meta-cognitive (beyond the mind) abilities. Humans have the function of transcending their environment and expanding their limits.”
Tarhan expressed that humans have the ability to transcend nature, stating, “The civilizations we have built throughout history are proof of this. Has any other living being built a civilization? Produced abstract thought, literature, artistic works? Developed symbolic thought? Humans have done all of these. The existence of these productions indicates that there is a spiritual part in humans. Science cannot ignore this spiritual part.”
Humans also have higher-level needs
“Humans do not succumb to environmental pressure; they want to transcend the environment,” said Tarhan, pointing to Maslow's pyramid of psychosocial needs, adding, “Humans also have higher-level needs. These needs are more advanced requirements such as meta-thinking, producing philosophy, and dominating nature. Maslow calls this 'self-transcendence,' which means the need to transcend oneself, one's own capacity, and environmental pressures to dominate the world. This situation is defined as 'self-consciousness,' and this consciousness is found in no other living being besides humans. While other living beings merely eat, drink, reproduce, and complete their life cycle, humans contemplate self-transcendence, existing in some way even after death, producing philosophy, and dominating the world.”
Humans have a non-material, invisible reality
Tarhan noted that whether one calls it religion, meaning, significance, or spirit, humans have a non-material, invisible reality, and continued:
“We need to seek out and find this reality. Positive science ignored this reality for a long time. However, with the emergence of quantum physics, it was understood that matter does not actually exist as we think it does. What we call matter is essentially based only on our subjective observations. In reality, there is no such thing as matter; according to string theory, matter consists of magnetic particles and is interconnected by quantum entanglement. Quantum entanglement reveals that matter does not actually exist. In other words, matter is something that exists only through our perception. When we reach the limits of our perception, we call what we see as hardness 'matter.' Therefore, nature and the universe could be a kind of simulation. Even Elon Musk talked about this possibility. We might currently be living in a simulation, and according to quantum information, this seems to be the case. Humans, as a part of this simulation, have the capacity to create their own simulations. The Metaverse is an example of this; it is a simulation environment. We, too, live in such a simulation in the universe.”
Humans' self-transcendence…
“Humans have a part that transcends their material structure, and this part is called the spirit,” said Tarhan, explaining that analyzing the spirit, acting in accordance with it, and trying to find the truth through rational beliefs and intuitions is what makes humans human and distinguishes them from other living beings.
Prof. Dr. Tarhan said, “People who succeed in self-transcendence emerge in this way. Therefore, humans are such beings that they do not remain bound by their environment and inclinations; on the contrary, they want to break free from the bonds of the environment and open up to the world. Unlike other living beings, humans have a consciousness of values, and this consciousness enables humans to produce values. For example, independence and freedom are values. Because they produce these values, humans possess a consciousness of values. There are norms in nature; these are natural laws, like Newton's laws. Fire burning, arsenic poisoning, are norms of nature. However, as humans civilized, legal norms also emerged. These norms are laws that distinguish between the civilized and the uncivilized and are determined by legal rules in civilized societies.”
Norms are values produced by humans
Prof. Dr. Tarhan stated that the first characteristic that makes humans human is not carving stone, but building a fence between themselves and their neighbor, adding, “This is also the first beginning of law. The second is social norms. If we live in a society, values such as respecting others' rights, not lying, and being honest are determined by social and moral norms. For example, if you walk around in pajamas in the streets, people will laugh at you. This is a social norm. Every society has its own taboos and norms that differ according to culture. Norms are values produced by humans. They can be classified as legal norms, social norms, and moral norms. Being honest and not lying even in a place unseen by anyone is part of moral norms.”
Tarhan noted that norms can be transmitted not only culturally but also genetically, saying, “In this process, called epigenetics, if these norms are taught and continued for several generations, they are passed on to children as genetic polymorphisms. If these norms are not taught, they are lost in subsequent generations.”
Religion and philosophy are concerned with why the universe exists
Prof. Dr. Tarhan noted that positive science is concerned with how the universe works and how events occur, while religion and philosophy are concerned with why the universe exists, stating, “When a book comes before you, positive science examines what material the paper is made of, how it was written, and with what tools it was produced. That is, it is concerned with the physical properties and the writing process of the book. Religion and philosophy are concerned with questions such as who wrote this book and why it was written. If we consider the universe as a book, positive science emerges as a discipline that examines how this book works, and the laws of physics, chemistry, and biology. However, questions such as why the universe exists, and how intelligent beings emerged from unintelligent and inanimate matter, fall into the domain of religion and philosophy, not positive science.”
Belief in God is now knowledge proven by reason, rational intuition, and rational faith
Tarhan pointed out that the assembly of inanimate matter to form life is beyond the limits of positive science, stating, “At this point, religion and philosophy intervene to question the meaning and cause of this phenomenon. This leads us to the existence of an external reality. Something being invisible does not mean it does not exist. The greatest proof of this is the existence of dark matter. The existence of dark matter has been proven, yet it is invisible. The existence of a Creator in the universe cannot be seen with the eye at present, but this does not mean it does not exist. When the famous Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung was asked if he believed in God, he replied, ‘I don't believe, I know.’ What Jung meant here is that the existence of God is now an indisputable reality, as certain as two plus two equals four. Therefore, belief in God is now knowledge proven by reason, rational intuition, and rational faith. However, this refers to the concept of God in the monotheistic belief. Descriptions of God outside of monotheistic belief are considered contrary to reason.”
Ibn Sina calls Allah a necessary being
Tarhan stated that Ibn Sina had delved deeply into the concept of existence and defined this concept, referring to Allah, as a "necessary being," noting that he named this concept "Wajib al-Wujud."
Tarhan also stated that Ibn Sina argued we can understand Allah through reasoning, saying, “According to him, Allah can be seen with the eye of reason; not with the physical eye. Ibn Sina calls Allah a necessary being. He calls Him the being that must exist. We can understand Allah through the method of reasoning. We see Allah with the eye of reason. We cannot see Him with the physical eye.”