Prof. Nevzat Tarhan: “If Intelligence, Reason, and Morality are addressed together, youth will fly towards the right goal”

President of Üsküdar University, Psychiatrist Prof. Nevzat Tarhan, participated in the “Intelligence and Talent Summit in Education” program organized in partnership with Istanbul University, Home School Association, and the Turkish Foundation for the Education of Gifted and Talented Children (TÜZDEV). Speaking under the title “The Child in the Triangle of Reason, Intelligence, and Morality,” Tarhan emphasized that in the age of artificial intelligence, not only intelligence but also morality and values should be addressed together in child education. Tarhan stated that if Intelligence, Reason, and Morality are addressed together, youth will fly towards the right goal, and expressed that family, environment, and social relationships play a decisive role in children's character development. Tarhan drew attention to the importance of prosocial values such as empathy, compassion, and justice. Tarhan said that intelligence, morality, and values should be considered as a whole so that children can be raised as individuals beneficial to themselves and society. 

Many experts in their fields attended the summit held at Istanbul University Dr. Cemil Bilsel Conference Hall.

“What will be the fundamental factor determining the course?”

Tarhan stated that a significant change and transformation is taking place today, and that it is necessary to question what the fundamental factor determining the course will be. Tarhan said; “Currently, a significant change and transformation is occurring. We are in it, but what will be the fundamental factor determining the course? Technology has accelerated our lives, but the main issue is what will guide our lives and our children. How we will transfer what to our children, especially in terms of genetic abilities, is an important question. I want to touch on this point. I want to start with the child's brain. The 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics… The fact that they received a physics prize despite not being physicists created a serious debate. The influential factors here are two important names defined as the father and mother of artificial intelligence. One comes from the field of psychology, providing specific education in psychological and neuropsychological backgrounds, and the other from genetics. The basis of these studies is the first article published by an Azerbaijani Turk in 1968, which laid the foundation for this process. Subsequently, based on this article, pathological and conceptual development emerges from the question of how the human brain works.”

“The emergence of artificial intelligence is based on mathematical modeling”

Referring to the relationship between artificial intelligence and the brain, Tarhan stated that the human brain does not work like a computer, and artificial intelligence has developed as a system based on brain simulation. Tarhan said; “Today, linguists and computer scientists are addressing this field together. Gray areas need to be calculated and logically modeled. In this process, it is seen that the brain functions in this way. Due to the operation of artificial neural networks, it is stated that Hinton, among others, received an award for the idea he advocated as a minority view, even in recent months, before the award was given. The human brain does not work like a computer. The way a computer works can be likened to artificial neural networks, but the brain is not a computer exactly. The brain is currently being simulated. Artificial intelligence is a simulated system of the brain. Its mathematical modeling is done using deep learning, establishing a structure that can calculate not only ‘0 and 1’ but also the gray areas in between. Our brain works like a prediction machine; the decision-making system performs probability calculations and makes decisions accordingly. The emergence of artificial intelligence is also based on this mathematical modeling. This transformation has created an impact similar to the great change brought about by the discovery of electricity. Whatever position we take in this process will determine our future. There is a wind blowing here. Kites need wind to fly. However, a kite can rise when the right position is taken against the wind. Similarly, if we take the right position against artificial intelligence, we can stand strong and seize the future.”

“The integration of reason and emotion is extremely important in character building”

Tarhan drew attention to the difference between intelligence and character; “There are things artificial intelligence cannot do. For instance, Elon Musk's recent post drew attention to this. He says, ‘Intelligence has become very cheap, character has become very expensive.’ Anyone can say this, but his stating it is particularly noteworthy. Intelligence has become very cheap because the most intelligent digital entities have now become smarter than humans. Artificial intelligence has reached this point. However, character is becoming increasingly valuable, scarcer. The number of people with character is decreasing. Therefore, humans should be evaluated not only through reason and intelligence but also through character building. While intelligence represents the external aspect, morality and values constitute the internal aspect of a person. It is important not to forget this in terms of human character building. The child's soul is the personality development infrastructure, which we can call the child's ‘DOS program.’ At the top is reason. In evaluating the child's brain, if we think of intelligence as hardware, we can say it works like electronic circuits. The brain is a system that processes information. Reason, here, is in a managerial position, functioning like a captain's bridge; the prefrontal cortex, the front region of the brain, performs this function. This area is the center for developing reason. For example, emotional intelligence studies have made significant progress in this field. Intelligence was once considered only as IQ, meaning abstract or logical intelligence. However, the concept of emotional intelligence later emerged. Then, the multiple intelligence approach developed. In emotional intelligence tests, children sometimes show high performance, but families may not understand the same situation because the emotional brain may not have been sufficiently activated. Therefore, the integration of reason and emotion is extremely important in character building. The formation of personality and character depends on these two structures working in a balanced way.”

“Children model relationships, not rules”

Referring to the importance of prosociality in child development, Tarhan said; “The concept we call prosociality refers to a cluster of emotions such as empathy, justice, compassion, and mercy. In this respect, it holds a very important place in human heart and character building. For children to learn these values is a more critical process than just learning rules. Because children model relationships more than rules. They learn by observing parents, the environment, and the social setting they are in. When they enter into relationships, they internalize these models. Therefore, a kind of compass is needed in a child's brain development. Parents provide this compass. Family, society, and the ecosystem in which they live are decisive in a child's learning of empathy. From a neuropsychological perspective, the human brain is born prematurely. A human infant is not fully developed at birth. The main reason for this is that humans need a much longer development period compared to other living beings. For example, a fawn can run shortly after birth, a duck can swim as soon as it hatches. However, humans walk at one year old, and their development is a process that takes years. Therefore, because the human brain is born prematurely, personality traits, intelligence, education, and all developmental processes are shaped after birth and are built over time.”

“Brain development takes shape in the external world after birth”

Evaluating the search for existential meaning and the development of the human brain, Tarhan said; “Within the framework defined by Yalom as four fundamental existential anxieties, there is the search for meaning, the search for freedom, the need to cope with loneliness, and the effort to provide an explanation for the reality of death. These characteristics distinguish humans from other living beings because humans are the only creatures capable of realizing the existence of time. It is not sufficient to explain humans solely by biological needs such as eating, drinking, reproduction, and shelter. In addition, there is a strong search for meaning. The reality of imagination, the reality of dreams, and the reality of religion constitute different dimensions of this search. Today, a fourth area of reality is being added: the reality of artificial intelligence. For this reason, some psychological effects related to artificial intelligence are mentioned, especially in adolescents and young children. This situation is even discussed with concepts like digital autism. In this context, brain development takes shape in the external world after birth, meaning it is virtually built outside. This process is premature, and approximately seventy-five percent of development is completed in the postnatal period. This incomplete hardware integrates and matures over time with the development of the prefrontal cortex.”

“Mirror neurons establish a communication network like a radio between brains”

Stating that the brain is shaped by social learning and environmental interaction, and that the epigenetic process plays an important role in this development, Tarhan said; “Just as there are motor mirror neurons, there are also emotional mirror neurons. For example, in motor mirror neurons, when a person lifts their arm, the corresponding arm region in the brain of the person opposite is also activated. In emotional mirror neurons, when we feel a person's emotion, the emotional systems in the other person's brain are similarly activated. Emotions such as love, hatred, anger, and sincerity are reflected through this mechanism. One of the most effective emotions in this system is sincerity. For example, in advanced autism cases, it is observed that the mirror neuron system does not work sufficiently or is not functional. This situation can lead to difficulties in social communication and empathy processes. Mirror neurons establish a communication network like a radio or internet connection between brains. This system operates with a great potential for neuroplasticity. In this context, intense synaptic pruning occurs, especially between the ages of 0-3 and from birth up to approximately 15 years of age. This process can be likened to pruning a tree or flowers. Unnecessary connections are eliminated over time, while necessary ones are strengthened. In this pruning process, environmental factors play a decisive role, and behaviors also shape and prune this process. As a result, synaptic pruning creates a structure added on top of genetic heritage. We call this the epigenetic mechanism.”

“Intelligence and diligence alone are not enough”

Drawing attention to the relationship between intelligence, diligence, and morality, Tarhan stated that intelligence and diligence alone are not sufficient, and that the ethical and virtue dimensions are also necessary. Tarhan said; “We often praise intelligence, saying, ‘Let them be gifted, very intelligent.’ In response, an evaluation like ‘Let them be stupid’ is made, as if there is an opposite extreme. Similarly, a distinction like ‘Let them be diligent, not lazy’ is presented. When an evaluation is made based on such binary classifications, combinations like intelligent and diligent, or intelligent but lazy, come to the forefront. If you were a manager and encountered these options in a management test, would you hire someone intelligent but lazy? What would be this person's contribution to your work? Or would you prefer someone diligent but with a low intelligence level? Because in this situation, there might be a risk of doing more harm than good. It is already not possible to run an efficient process with someone who is neither intelligent nor diligent. So, is being just intelligent and diligent enough? Let's consider a person who is intelligent and diligent but also acts unethically. For example, they might engage in computer hacking, produce chemical weapons, or establish malicious organizations. Just like in cases where doctors establish criminal organizations… In this situation, intelligence and diligence alone are not sufficient. Therefore, the dimension of virtue and morality must also be taught.”

“Intelligence, morality, and values should be addressed together”

Emphasizing that intelligence, morality, and values should be addressed together in education, Tarhan stated that this triple structure makes individuals beneficial both to themselves and to society. Tarhan said; “We can evaluate social and emotional intelligence under the heading of morality. Through epigenetic mechanisms, children learn this with effort and labor. At this point, there are also some fundamental, permanent concepts that are not entirely lost. Therefore, when educating our children, we should not only provide intelligence education but also address morality and values as a whole. If we consider this as a tripod, when intelligence, morality, and values are addressed together, it becomes possible to raise individuals who are both intelligent and beneficial to society and themselves. If Intelligence, Reason, and Morality are addressed together, youth will fly towards the right goal.” thus concluding his words.