Papers by Nedim Nomer
Integrative Psychological & Behavioral Science
In this paper we identify and compare the arguments offered by two leading Ottoman public intelle... more In this paper we identify and compare the arguments offered by two leading Ottoman public intellectuals in the nineteenth century, Namık Kemal and Ziya Gökalp, on why Western institutions are compatible with those of their own society. We argue that these arguments exemplify patterns of reasoning, identified by cognitive social psychologists, which purport to resolve inconsistencies that arise in individuals' belief structures. We draw two conclusions from this analysis. Our first conclusion is that the ideas of Ottoman political thinkers, like those of their Western counterparts, constitute a domain of evidence for research in cognitive social psychology. We secondly conclude that political theories have resources to overcome ideological conflicts in a society without resorting to partisanship or utopianism.
British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies, 2016
This paper is a reflection on the distinctiveness and scope of the ideas of Ziya Gökalp (1876-192... more This paper is a reflection on the distinctiveness and scope of the ideas of Ziya Gökalp (1876-1924), who played a key role in the formation of the ideology of the Turkish Republic created in 1923. Gökalp is generally cast by interpreters as a 'Westernist' or 'modernist' nationalist thinker, like many other thinkers in late developing societies, whose chief concern was the establishment of a modern Turkish nation-state and who, therefore, tried to combine Western knowledge with the culture of his own society. Contrary to received wisdom, I argue that Gökalp developed not just a model of modernity befitting Muslim Turks but also a distinctive general theory of social life, according to which the cultures of all societies are hybrid, i.e. blends of other (past and present) cultures. If this is correct, then Gökalp's social thought is more than a mere specimen of late nationalist ideologies; it is applicable to all forms of social life just as much as the ideas of the European social theorists he cited.
Fichte and the Relationship between Self-Positing and Rights N e d i m N o m e R f i c h t e a n ... more Fichte and the Relationship between Self-Positing and Rights N e d i m N o m e R f i c h t e a n d t h e r e l a t i o n s h i p b e t w e e n s e l f-p o s i t i n g a n d r i g h t s 1 in this paper i intend to elucidate a thesis that lies at the heart of Fichte's theory of rights. This thesis states that rights are the essential foundation of rational political order not only because they govern relations among human beings but also because they help them to realize themselves as free agents. in Fichte's words, rights are the "conditions" under which human beings can become aware of themselves as "self-positing subjects." 2 This thesis calls for the rejection of the claim central to natural rights theories that the main task of rights is to protect liberties that human beings have by virtue of their "natural" or "God-given" qualities. 3 This is because Fichte's thesis implies that rights are constitutive (at least in part) of free agency. An anticipation of this thesis can be found in Rousseau's idea of moral liberty, 4 but it is Fichte who develops this thesis into a full-blown theory of entitlement as well as of political government. A version of this thesis later becomes a centerpiece of Hegel's social theory, according to which social institutions are formative of individual identity.
Encyclopedia of Modern Political Thought, 2013
The Palgrave Fichte Handbook, 2019
which provides an overview of the period, its greatest philosophers, and its historical and philo... more which provides an overview of the period, its greatest philosophers, and its historical and philosophical importance.
The Bloomsbury Handbook to Fichte, 2020
This paper is a reflection on the distinctiveness and scope of the ideas of Ziya Gökalp (1876Göka... more This paper is a reflection on the distinctiveness and scope of the ideas of Ziya Gökalp (1876Gökalp ( -1924, who played a key role in the formation of the ideology of the Turkish Republic created in 1923. Gökalp is generally cast by interpreters as a 'Westernist' or 'modernist' nationalist thinker, like many other thinkers in late developing societies, whose chief concern was the establishment of a modern Turkish nation-state and who, therefore, tried to combine Western knowledge with the culture of his own society. Contrary to received wisdom, I argue that Gökalp developed not just a model of modernity befitting Muslim Turks but also a distinctive general theory of social life, according to which the cultures of all societies are hybrid, i.e. blends of other (past and present) cultures. If this is correct, then Gökalp's social thought is more than a mere specimen of late nationalist ideologies; it is applicable to all forms of social life just as much as the ideas of the European social theorists he cited.
At the outset of his Foundations of Natural Right (1796-97) (hereafter Foundations), Fichte portr... more At the outset of his Foundations of Natural Right (1796-97) (hereafter Foundations), Fichte portrays his theory of right as a "separate and self-standing science" which is not to be seen as part of a moral theory. He writes, "the concept of right has nothing to do with the moral law and it is deduced without it." 1 In so portraying the concept of right, Fichte does not rule out the possibility of grounding rights in morality; rather, he argues that morality is not necessary for the conception of right. What then, for Fichte, is the basis of the concept of right? And, absent moral considerations, what would compel individuals to abide by the principles of right? These are the questions I address in this paper.
Book Reviews by Nedim Nomer
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Papers by Nedim Nomer
Book Reviews by Nedim Nomer