Prof. Nevzat Tarhan: “Artificial intelligence cannot replace psychology.”
President of Üsküdar University and Psychiatrist Prof. Nevzat Tarhan, participated in the Azerbaijan–Türkiye Educational Brotherhood Forum held in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan. As the only participant from Türkiye, Prof. Tarhan delivered striking evaluations to educators from various regions of Azerbaijan under the theme “Positive Psychology in Education.” He emphasized that culture is now being transmitted to children not through families or education systems, but through social media. He also noted the global rise of individualism alongside hedonism. Addressing the topic of artificial intelligence, Tarhan stated that although it may impact many professions, it will not be able to replace the field of psychology.
The forum was held at the Pullman Hotel in Baku, gathering around 500 educators from different regions of Azerbaijan. The session, which drew significant interest from participants, was moderated by journalist Şaban Özdemir.
“Our brain learns through algorithms”
Speaking at the forum, which also hosted representatives of various Azerbaijani NGOs and members of parliament, Prof. Tarhan explained that the brain learns through algorithms and emphasized the importance of values. “What makes a person truly human is the environment in which they are raised and the memories accumulated from childhood,” he said.
“What shapes a person are the life scripts they experience and internalize from an early age. For example, theater is a great art form, and theater has scripts. Our brains also have a learning model. This has been increasingly understood through recent research. Our brains learn through algorithms. Algorithms are similar to software. Just like you install software on a computer, and it runs according to that software, our brains operate in a similar way. The algorithms that drive learning in our brains are called values, and they are rooted in ancient cultures. Whatever value system is instilled in a child during childhood, that child will grow into that system. As Azerbaijani poet Bahtiyar Vahabzade once said, ‘Raise a child in such a way that the homeland is proud of them when they grow up.’ To raise such a child, we must transmit our values and culture accurately,” he explained.
“Popular culture uploads its own algorithms to our minds”
Highlighting the importance of cultural transmission to children, Tarhan said:
“We now live in an age where popular culture is uploading its own algorithms into our minds. Social media teaches us how to live, how to have fun, what kind of person we should be. But it should not be social media that teaches us this, and it should be our families, and our national education systems. Here, the primary responsibility lies with families, and the secondary responsibility lies with teachers. Teachers are crucial in this regard. They manage the classroom. A teacher is the captain, leader, and guide of a class. Especially for elementary students under the age of 10, teachers are often seen as heroes. After their parents, teachers become role models. Children learn by imitating and repeating them. Therefore, passing on our culture, history, and values is extremely important.”
“Hedonic happiness is temporary”
Tarhan also addressed the global spread of hedonism: “There are four main indicators of what is known as the California Syndrome. The first is hedonism, which is the philosophy of pursuing pleasure. This outlook sees whatever feels good as right, and whatever feels unpleasant as wrong. If this becomes a life philosophy, it can become dangerous. Aristotle spoke of two types of happiness 2,500 years ago: hedonic happiness and eudaimonic happiness. Hedonic happiness is pleasure-based, that is, ‘If I eat this, I will be happy; if I wear this, I’ll be happy; if I have fun, I’ll be happy.’ This is short-term happiness. Neuroscience supports this: this kind of happiness leads to dopamine release in the brain. But dopamine is temporary, and when the release stops, the brain demands more. This leads to addiction. One of the key reasons behind the global rise in substance abuse and drug addiction is the spread of hedonism.”
“There is a global epidemic of selfishness”
Addressing major issues of our time, Tarhan continued his remarks as follows: “The second indicator of California Syndrome is egoism, or selfishness. Today’s youth show serious signs of egocentrism. There is a global epidemic of selfishness. People say, ‘My benefit comes first, my interests come first, I come first.’ The third sign is loneliness, another major issue of our time. In 2021, the UK established a Ministry of Loneliness. Japan did the same. Japan is currently one of the countries with the highest suicide rates, particularly among the elderly. The population there has aged significantly. Europe is facing a similar issue. In fact, in China, more adult diapers are now sold than baby diapers. As humanity heads in this direction, we must ask: ‘Where are we going?’ People are becoming increasingly isolated. Last year in Türkiye, the Turkish Language Association conducted a survey. The word that received over one million votes was ‘crowded loneliness’. Even in a country like Türkiye, which is a socially active, close-knit society, people now feel alone in a crowd. As Eastern societies, we are known for our warm relationships, conversations, shared meals, and communal spirit. Yet, even we are now facing the condition of crowded loneliness.”
“We tried to integrate our values with modern psychology”
Explaining the foundation of positive psychology through his books, Tarhan said:
“Although positive psychology is presented in the West as a systematized scientific field, its roots lie in the ancient wisdom of the East. Westerners studied and gave methodological structure to the teachings of Mevlana, Yunus Emre, the Qur'an, and the Prophet Muhammad, thus creating what is now known as positive psychology. And I’m glad they did. But when I saw this development, I felt a sense of sorrow, because I realized these values already existed within us, but we had not systematized them. Motivated by this, I wrote ‘Mesnevi Therapy,’ which became a bestseller not only in Türkiye but also in Indonesia. In that book, we aim to help people recognize and transform their faulty thought patterns, based on Mevlana’s stories. There is a scale known as PBQ (Personal Beliefs Questionnaire) in psychology that measures dysfunctional beliefs. Our approach seeks to develop emotional intelligence and mental well-being through value-based cognitive restructuring. Similarly, in ‘Yunus Therapy’ and ‘Love Therapy’, we aimed to integrate our traditional values with modern psychology. This is not just a cultural synthesis, and it is also supported by neuroscientific data. That is why we teach positive psychology as a course at universities: to help build a state of well-being centered on the human being.”
“The marriage of mathematics and psychology gave birth to artificial intelligence”
Prof. Nevzat Tarhan stated that artificial intelligence (AI) would spark a revolution: “Just as the printing press changed the world, artificial intelligence will also change the world in a similar way. It must be used for good, truth, and beauty. Its convergence with positive psychology is particularly interesting. The marriage of mathematics and logic gave birth to computers; the marriage of mathematics and psychology gave birth to artificial intelligence. Therefore, AI is a synthesis of mathematics and psychology. We call this computational psychiatry, which is a collaboration of the two disciplines. Because AI mimics humans, it imitates human behavior. While artificial intelligence may replace many professions, it will not replace the field of psychology,” he said.
“The greatest force in the universe is the power of knowledge”
Responding to questions from participants, Tarhan pointed out that the universe was created through intelligent design. “Quantum physics shows us that the universe was created with design. The greatest power in the universe is the power of knowledge. We all know the three states of matter: solid, liquid, and gas. But in fact, the fourth state of matter is information. At the moment of creation, knowledge came first, science was created. Knowledge is at the top. Next comes mathematics, where the system that calculates everything. Third is design. The universe was built with a comprehensive design. Fourth comes energy, that is, physics. Fifth is matter, that is, chemistry. And finally comes life, that is, biology. The universe was constructed in this order. That is why design is so crucial. Everything we do should also follow this universal order, in which design first. For example, the Germans have a method: they spend three years designing a project and only one year constructing it because they calculate every possibility in advance. In art, music, and science, where everything starts with imagination, then comes design, and finally implementation. But for design to exist, there must first be a purpose. Without purpose, there is no design. In Arabic, purpose is called maksat. The word economy (iktisat) also comes from the same root. So, first, you must define your purpose. Once that is clear, you can manage your resources wisely. You’ll recognize your strengths and weaknesses. Then comes resource management. In resource management, the key concept is input-output control. Imagine a pool: input modulation and output modulation. If you manage these well, you manage your resources well. I always tell young people: ‘The one who manages their resources best will reach the most accurate result in life.’ We have three fundamental resources in life: first, our mental resources, second, our psychological resources, and third, our social resources. If we manage our intellectual capital, emotional strength, and social network well, then we manage our lives well,” he said.
“Today, people walk around wearing social masks”
Discussing the difficulty of maturing in times of abundance, Tarhan said: “Previous generations matured in scarcity. Today's generation must mature in abundance, and that is actually harder. There is a key principle here: ‘Earn with effort, have values, live with honor.’ This should be a guiding principle in life. Young people today have gained many things easily, but this is not a threat, and it is a great opportunity. Because they are starting life with a +1 advantage, and they can achieve much more. The most important thing for youth is to put in effort, to endure hardship, to have ego ideals and goals. Ask yourself: ‘What kind of person do I want to be at the end of life? How do I want to be remembered?’ People who think like this have abstract goals. Modernism teaches us only concrete goals: own a house, have a car. The values modernism promotes are money, possessions, status, and gender. People try to prove their existence through social media, which this is a false validation.
Nowadays, people walk around wearing social masks. Their true faces are hidden. There are no real personalities, just social personas. In such a situation, young people must have high goals. These may include intermediate goals like owning a house, car, or profession. But a youth without a goal is like a ship adrift with no compass or destination, which is tossed around by the winds. However, a ship with a goal and a compass uses the wind to move toward its destination.”
“The most powerful language is the language of behavior”
Offering advice to educators, Tarhan said: “We teach children what is good, right, and beautiful, but do we live by those values ourselves? The most effective language is not the language of words but the language of actions. That is, being a role model. For instance, a father gave a three-hour lecture to his child about the virtue of speaking less. The child laughed and said, ‘Dad, you cannot even manage to speak less, how do you expect me to?’ That is the point. We influence others not with what we say, but with what we do. Children do not follow their parents’ or teachers’ words, and they follow their examples. They observe behavior and body language. If teachers do not practice what they preach, their words will have no effect on young people. To be influential, we must first live the values we speak of. Otherwise, we cannot build trust,” he concluded.
Prof. Tarhan visited Üsküdar University’s Azerbaijan Baku Office
Following the forum, President of Üsküdar University Prof. Nevzat Tarhan visited the university’s Baku representative office in Azerbaijan along with Fırat Tarhan, Founding Board Member of the Üsküdar University Foundation, and Şaban Özdemir, Director of Media PR at the Corporate Communications Department.
The delegation met with Könül Hümbetova, Üsküdar University’s Baku Representative. The meeting focused on exploring opportunities for cooperation between the two countries in the fields of education and healthcare.
Üsküdar News Agency (ÜNA)