Naming “Allah” from the Perspective of the Philosophy of Language

Sümeyra Hatice Sandıkçı

Makale detayları

Naming “Allah” from the Perspective of the Philosophy of Language

Yazarlar:

Sümeyra Hatice Sandıkçı

Yayıncı:

Sakarya University

Ana Başlıklar:

Modern Felsefe

Dergi:

Sakarya Üniversitesi İlahiyat Fakültesi Dergisi Vol.26 Issue 49, pp.161-182

Belge Tipi:

Makale

Yayın Tarihi:

6/2024

Belge Dili:

Türkçe

Document ID (Org No.):

2001319526

pISSN:

2146-9806

Anahtar kelimeler:

Özet:

 The relationship between language and being is one of the most intricate issues in the history of thought. Naming places at the center of this relationship. Human beings can only know existence and do science by naming it. Since knowing begins with naming, discussions on naming have been carried out in connection with epistemology, ontology, and metaphysics throughout the history of thought, transcending the limits of the linguistic plane. The fact that changes in the understanding of being also shape the understanding of language has led to changes in the theories of naming. In particular, Kants criticisms of metaphysics deeply affected the naming theories in the modern period. Kant rejected the concept of substance existing independently, which had been accepted since antiquity, and introduced an understanding of an object constructed by the subjects judgment. This elimination also changed the position of proper names. Understanding proper names based on substance metaphysics became difficult to defend with the linguistic turn. While this difficulty is in question for any name, when it comes to naming God, the issue gains a theological dimension and becomes even more intricate. The main question that this study seeks to answer is whether the modern theories of naming developed after Kant enable us to determine the referent of the proper name Allah. Several studies have been written to investigate the possibility of referring to God with modern linguistic theories. In these studies, either the concept of God, which is a universal concept i.e., under which different individuals can be included, has been analyzed, or the possibility of referring to the God of Christianity and Judaism with the existing theories of reference has been investigated. However, there has not been an examination of how to refer to Allah as a proper name, considering the views of Islamic thinkers on the subject. Our study aims to fill this gap by including the statements of famous Islamic scholars on the subject with attention to metaphysical backgrounds.

 The relationship between language and being is one of the most intricate issues in the history of thought. Naming places at the center of this relationship. Human beings can only know existence and do science by naming it. Since knowing begins with naming, discussions on naming have been carried out in connection with epistemology, ontology, and metaphysics throughout the history of thought, transcending the limits of the linguistic plane. The fact that changes in the understanding of being also shape the understanding of language has led to changes in the theories of naming. In particular, Kants criticisms of metaphysics deeply affected the naming theories in the modern period. Kant rejected the concept of substance existing independently, which had been accepted since antiquity, and introduced an understanding of an object constructed by the subjects judgment. This elimination also changed the position of proper names. Understanding proper names based on substance metaphysics became difficult to defend with the linguistic turn. While this difficulty is in question for any name, when it comes to naming God, the issue gains a theological dimension and becomes even more intricate. The main question that this study seeks to answer is whether the modern theories of naming developed after Kant enable us to determine the referent of the proper name Allah. Several studies have been written to investigate the possibility of referring to God with modern linguistic theories. In these studies, either the concept of God, which is a universal concept i.e., under which different individuals can be included, has been analyzed, or the possibility of referring to the God of Christianity and Judaism with the existing theories of reference has been investigated. However, there has not been an examination of how to refer to Allah as a proper name, considering the views of Islamic thinkers on the subject. Our study aims to fill this gap by including the statements of famous Islamic scholars on the subject with attention to metaphysical backgrounds.

 The relationship between language and being is one of the most intricate issues in the history of thought. Naming places at the center of this relationship. Human beings can only know existence and do science by naming it. Since knowing begins with naming, discussions on naming have been carried out in connection with epistemology, ontology, and metaphysics throughout the history of thought, transcending the limits of the linguistic plane. The fact that changes in the understanding of being also shape the understanding of language has led to changes in the theories of naming. In particular, Kants criticisms of metaphysics deeply affected the naming theories in the modern period. Kant rejected the concept of substance existing independently, which had been accepted since antiquity, and introduced an understanding of an object constructed by the subjects judgment. This elimination also changed the position of proper names. Understanding proper names based on substance metaphysics became difficult to defend with the linguistic turn. While this difficulty is in question for any name, when it comes to naming God, the issue gains a theological dimension and becomes even more intricate. The main question that this study seeks to answer is whether the modern theories of naming developed after Kant enable us to determine the referent of the proper name Allah. Several studies have been written to investigate the possibility of referring to God with modern linguistic theories. In these studies, either the concept of God, which is a universal concept i.e., under which different individuals can be included, has been analyzed, or the possibility of referring to the God of Christianity and Judaism with the existing theories of reference has been investigated. However, there has not been an examination of how to refer to Allah as a proper name, considering the views of Islamic thinkers on the subject. Our study aims to fill this gap by including the statements of famous Islamic scholars on the subject with attention to metaphysical backgrounds.

 Kantın teorik akla getirdiği sınırlamayla metafiziği bilginin konusu olmaktan çıkarma iddiası modern dönemde gerçekleştirilen fikri faaliyetleri derinden etkilemiştir. Kant düşüncesinin daha ileri boyutlara taşınması mantıkçı pozitivizm gibi ekollerde metafiziğe dair önermelerin ve bu önermelerin temel kavramı olan tanrı teriminin anlamsız kabul edilmesi sonucunu doğurmuştur. Mantıkçı pozitivistlerin bu iddialarına karşın din felsefesi alanında tanrı teriminin gönderimi bir problem olarak tartışılmakta ve modern gönderim kuramlarıyla tanrıya gönderimde bulunabilmenin yani onu adlandırabilmenin imkânı soruşturulmaktadır. Bu makalenin amacı, tanrıya gönderim meselesinin tartışıldığı çalışmalardaki iki temel eksikliği gidermektir. Konuyla ilgili çalışmalarda, ya tümel bir kavram olan tanrı kavramı veya Hristiyanlığın ve Yahudiliğin tanrısına gönderim imkânı soruşturulmuştur. Ancak özel bir ad olan Allah lafzı inceleme kapsamına dahil edilmemiş ve İslam düşüncesinin konuya yaklaşımı göz ardı edilmiştir. Bu makalede, zikredilen eksikliği giderme amacıyla Fahreddin er-Râzî ve Nâsırüddîn el-Beyzâvînin Allah adına dair açıklamaları ele alınacaktır. Tanrıya gönderimtanrıyı adlandırma tartışmalarında karşımıza çıkan ikinci eksiklik ise modern gönderim kuramlarının metafiziksel arka planlarının dikkate alınmıyor olmasıdır. Çalışmamızda tanrıyı adlandırma noktasında imkân olarak görülen betimsel gönderim kuramı ve nedensel gönderim kuramının Kant düşüncesi ile irtibatına dikkat çekilecek ve onların klasik delaletiyle Allahı adlandırmada yeterli olamayacağı iddia edilecektir.

Makale detayları

Naming “Allah” from the Perspective of the Philosophy of Language

Yazarlar:

Sümeyra Hatice Sandıkçı

Yayıncı:

Sakarya University

Ana Başlıklar:

Modern Felsefe

Dergi:

Sakarya Üniversitesi İlahiyat Fakültesi Dergisi Vol.26 Issue 49, pp.161-182

Belge Tipi:

Makale

Yayın Tarihi:

6/2024

Belge Dili:

Türkçe

Document ID (Org No.):

2001319526

pISSN:

2146-9806

Philosophy of Language

Naming

Proper Name

Reference

Allah

Kripke.Dil Felsefesi

Adlandırma

Özel ad

Gönderim

Allah

Kripke

Sayı

Makale detayları

Yazarlar: Sümeyra Hatice Sandıkçı

Yayıncı: Sakarya University

Ana Başlıklar: Modern Felsefe

Dergi: Sakarya Üniversitesi İlahiyat Fakültesi Dergisi Vol.26 Issue 49, pp.161-182

Belge Tipi: Makale

Yayın Tarihi: 6/2024

Belge Dili: Türkçe

Document ID (Org No.): 2001319526

pISSN: 2146-9806

Sayı

Yazarlar:

Sümeyra Hatice Sandıkçı

Yayıncı:

Sakarya University

Ana Başlıklar:

Modern Felsefe

Dergi:

Sakarya Üniversitesi İlahiyat Fakültesi Dergisi Vol.26 Issue 49, pp.161-182

Belge Tipi:

Makale

Yayın Tarihi:

6/2024

Belge Dili:

Türkçe

Document ID (Org No.):

2001319526

pISSN:

2146-9806