Quine, Laudan, and the normativity problem of naturalized epistemology

Quine’ın “Epistemology Naturalized” başlıklı makalesi epistemolojide doğallaştırma düşüncesinin klasik yapıtıdır. Pek çok geleneksel bilgi kuramcısı özellikle bu makaleyi hedef alarak epistemolojinin doğallaştırılmasını eleştirmiştir. Eleştirilerin odağında Quine’ın, psikolojinin bir alt bölümü haline getirerek, epistemolojinin normatifliğini ortadan kaldırdığı savı yer almaktadır. Laudan epistemolojide doğallaştırmanın gerekli olduğunu savunmasına karşın Quine’a yöneltilen bu eleştiriye katılmakta ve “normatif doğalcılık” adını verdiği yeni bir epistemolojik yaklaşım önermektedir. Bu çalışmada Quine’a yöneltilen eleştirinin yersiz ve Quine’ın doğallaştırılmış epistemolojisinin Laudan’ın normatif doğalcılığı gibi hipotetik normatif olduğunu tartışacağım.Quine’s “Epistemology Naturalized” is the locus classicus of naturalism in epistemology. Many traditional epistemologists criticized naturalization of epistemology specifically targeting that article of Quine. The critics argue that Quine abolishes the normativity of epistemology. For he proposes epistemology as a chapter of psychology. Laudan, like Quine, believes that epistemology should be naturalized. However he criticizes Quine’s project of naturalization for similar reasons as Quine’s critics. Instead, he proposes a new project that he calls “normative naturalism”. In this work, I will first argue against the critics of Quine and then argue that both Quine’s and Laudan’s naturalized epistemologies are hypothetically normative

On the possibility, necessity, and practicability of Leopold's land ethic

In this work, I scrutinize Leopold’s land ethic and Callicott’s interpretation of it both from normative and meta-ethical perspectives by making textual and conceptual analyses. Leopold suggests that an ethic which makes us responsible for the protection of whole nature is evolutionarily possible and ecologically necessary. Callicott tried to buttress Leopold’s land ethic by developing a nonanthropocentric axiology and some meta-principles. Moreover, in his view, Leopold’s views are not only compatible with nonanthropocentric axiology but also imply it. I show that Leopold did not build the land ethic on nonanthropocentrism and he did not enforce attribution of intrinsic value to nature and its constituents. I argue that weak anthropocentrism is quite compatible with Leopold’s views, and it provides a way to maintain normative power of land ethic without being ecofascistic. Furthermore, I discuss that Leopold might not have objected attribution of intrinsic value to nonhuman beings although he primarily referred to instrumental values of nature. Moreover, I argue that Leopold preferred a middle position between the concepts of preservation and conservation. As a man of practical wisdom Leopold has always tried to find middle and practicable ways between opposing extremes to harmonize human realm with nonhuman one and to grow the embryo of the conservationist movement. Finally, I argue that Leopold’s land ethic is a human ethic which requires human moral agents to accept responsibility for protecting whole nature in order to attain good life

Two replıes to the questıon “why should ı protect nature?”

“Niçin doğayı korumalıyım?” sorusu pek çok insan tarafından üzerinde durmaya değmeyecek önemsiz bir soru gibi görülebilir. Böyle görülmesinin nedeni kuşkusuz doğanın korunmasının önemsiz olduğunun düşünülmesi değildir. Aklı başında herkes doğanın korunması gerektiğini “bilir.” Zira varlığımızı sürdürebilmemiz için doğaya muhtaç olduğumuz aşikârdır. Ancak, tıpkı bunun “bilindiği” gibi, doğanın özellikle son birkaç yüzyıldır insan kaynaklı nedenlerden ötürü ağır bir yıkıma uğradığı da “bilinmektedir.” Dolayısıyla “Niçin doğayı korumalıyım?” sorusu ilk bakışta önemsiz gibi gözükse de üzerinde ciddiyetle durulmayı hak etmektedir. Bu soruyla ilgili olarak, bu yazıda, çevre ve doğa felsefesi yazınında sıkça tartışılan bazı kavramları ve kavramsal ayrımları irdeleyecek ve Aldo Leopold ve J. Baird Callicott’un düşüncelerine dayanan iki akıl yürütmeyi değerlendireceğim.The question “Why should I protect nature?” might be considered to betrivial for most of us. But this does not mean that most of us think that protecting nature is trivial as well. Every reasonable human being “knows” that we should protect nature. For it is indisputably clear that we need nature to survive. However, it is also “known” that nature has suffered severe destruction due to anthropogenic reasons, especially since the last few centuries.Therefore, even if the question “Why should I protect nature?” seems trivial at first glance it deserves serious consideration. In this study, as related with this question, I will evaluate some of the concepts that are often discussed in environmental literature and two arguments based on Aldo Leopold’s and J. Baird Callicott’s ideas

Leopold'un toprak etiğinin olabilirliği, zorunluluğu ve uygulanabilirliği üzerine

In this work, I scrutinize Leopold’s land ethic and Callicott’s interpretation of it both from normative and meta-ethical perspectives by making textual and conceptual analyses. Leopold suggests that an ethic which makes us responsible for the protection of whole nature is evolutionarily possible and ecologically necessary. Callicott tried to buttress Leopold’s land ethic by developing a nonanthropocentric axiology and some meta-principles. Moreover, in his view, Leopold’s views are not only compatible with nonanthropocentric axiology but also imply it. I show that Leopold did not build the land ethic on nonanthropocentrism and he did not enforce attribution of intrinsic value to nature and its constituents. I argue that weak anthropocentrism is quite compatible with Leopold’s views, and it provides a way to maintain normative power of land ethic without being ecofascistic. Furthermore, I discuss that Leopold might not have objected attribution of intrinsic value to nonhuman beings although he primarily referred to instrumental values of nature. Moreover, I argue that Leopold preferred a middle position between the concepts of preservation and conservation. As a man of practical wisdom Leopold has always tried to find middle and practicable ways between opposing extremes to harmonize human realm with nonhuman one and to grow the embryo of the conservationist movement. Finally, I argue that Leopold’s land ethic is a human ethic which requires human moral agents to accept responsibility for protecting whole nature in order to attain good life.Ph.D. - Doctoral Progra

İYONİK KANAL AKTİVASYON VE İNAKTİVASYON KAPILARININ DİNAMİK DAVRANIŞI İÇİN ALTERNATİF DENKLEMLER

Bu makalede, iyonik kanal aktivasyon ve inaktivasyon kapılarının dinamik davranışı için yol ihtimaliyet yöntemine dayalı olarak elde edilen alternatif denklemler sunulmaktadır. Gerilim-kapılı iyonik kanalın dinamik davranışı, geleneksel Hodgkin-Huxley (H-H) matematiksel biçimciliği ile modellenmektedir. Bu modelde kanal iletkenliği, aktivasyon ve inaktivasyon kapılarına göre tanımlanmaktadır. Aktivasyon ve inaktivasyon kapılarının dinamiği, kapı değişkenine ve membran potansiyeline bağlı birinci dereceden diferansiyel denklemlerle modellenmektedir. Bu çalışmada sunulan yeni yaklaşımda, aktivasyon ve inaktivasyon kapısının dinamik davranışı, istatistik fizikte yaygın olarak kullanılan yol ihtimaliyet yöntemi kullanılarak iç enerji ve membran potansiyeline bağlı birinci dereceden diferansiyel denklemlerle modellenmektedir. Yeni model, H-H modelinde açıkça kullanılan zaman sabiti ve sürekli-hal değerlerini de gerektirmemektedir. Sayısal sonuçlar önerilen yöntemin geçerliliğini göstermektedir

Phase-plane analysis for a simplified model of Purkinje cell dendrite

In this study, phase-plane analysis is carried out for a simplified model of Purkinje cell dendrite in terms of voltage-gated ionic channels involved. State variables, nullclines and equilibrium points of the model are determined, and effects of ionic channel conductance and injected current on the shape of nullclines and the equilibrium points are investigated.In this study, phase-plane analysis is carried out for a simplified model of Purkinje cell dendrite in terms of voltage-gated ionic channels involved. State variables, nullclines and equilibrium points of the model are determined, and effects of ionic channel conductance and injected current on the shape of nullclines and the equilibrium points are investigated

Relaxation phenomena in the activation and inactivation gates of ionic channels

The dynamics of a voltage-gated ionic channel is modeled by the conventional Hodgkin-Huxley mathematical formalism. In that formalism, the dynamics of the ionic channel activation and inactivation gates is modeled by a first-order differential equation dependent on the gate variable and the membrane potential. In this study a method, which combines statistical equilibrium theory and the thermodynamics of irreversible processes, is proposed for the study of the relaxation phenomena in the activation and inactivation gates of ionic channels present in the excitable membranes of neurons. In order to study the relaxation phenomena, the assumption is made that the activation and inactivation gate order parameters can be treated as fluxes and forces, in the sense of Onsager's theory of irreversible thermodynamics. The kinetic equations are solved by using the Runge-Kutta method, in order to study the relaxation of the order parameters. It is found that the kinetic equations are characterized by two relaxation times. The kinetic coefficients that relate the fluxes to the forces are determined. Furthermore, it is shown that the obtained relaxation times have the same results as those obtained by using the Hodgkin-Huxley model. These results therefore indicate the validity of the proposed approach