Naming, Order and Power: She Unnames Them All of Ursula & Lord of the Rings of Tolkien

Osman Vahdet İşsevenler

Makale detayları

Naming, Order and Power: She Unnames Them All of Ursula & Lord of the Rings of Tolkien

Yazarlar:

Osman Vahdet İşsevenler

Yayıncı:

Istanbul University

Ana Başlıklar:

Environmental and Resources Law (Other)

Dergi:

İstanbul Hukuk Mecmuası Vol.82 Issue 2, pp.671-692

Belge Tipi:

Makale

Yayın Tarihi:

11/2024

Belge Dili:

İngilizce

Document ID (Org No.):

2001325607

pISSN:

2636-7734

Anahtar kelimeler:

Özet:

 One of the two points that establishes a relationship between law and literature is the legal themes in literary works, and the other is the literary character of law itself. More fundamentally, the ontological kinship between law and literature is that both construct a second world with words or names. In general, names are the mediums through which human beings construct a second world called culture. In this regard, language is a feature of the human condition. Arendt conceptualised this condition as vita activa and defined the categories of work, labour and action. This article analyzes the conceptions of power and order in two literary works by focusing on this condition of human beings called naming. Ursulas work deals with the theme of naming, based on the claim that naming is a masculine activity that is only useful to humans. By refusing to replace names, the character who returns names manifests a form of divine violence. Tolkiens work, on the other hand, distinguishes between correct and incorrect naming. In this conception, misnaming is to ignore the nature of the object and to name it to instrumentalize it. The correct naming, on the other hand, is not to rule the object but to take care of it as a gardener takes care of flowers. In this context, Ursula gives an anarchist, de-ordering message, and at the same time she rejects the potential of human beings to establish a legal-political order because she excludes the category of action that is only possible through names. Tolkien, on the other hand, while criticising domination and instrumental reason, also proposes a remedy that does not require a total rejection of human potential. His work, which finds its main idea in the motto power corrupts, makes us think that law is not necessarily an instrument of domination but, can also be an antidote to arbitrariness.

 One of the two points that establishes a relationship between law and literature is the legal themes in literary works, and the other is the literary character of law itself. More fundamentally, the ontological kinship between law and literature is that both construct a second world with words or names. In general, names are the mediums through which human beings construct a second world called culture. In this regard, language is a feature of the human condition. Arendt conceptualised this condition as vita activa and defined the categories of work, labour and action. This article analyzes the conceptions of power and order in two literary works by focusing on this condition of human beings called naming. Ursulas work deals with the theme of naming, based on the claim that naming is a masculine activity that is only useful to humans. By refusing to replace names, the character who returns names manifests a form of divine violence. Tolkiens work, on the other hand, distinguishes between correct and incorrect naming. In this conception, misnaming is to ignore the nature of the object and to name it to instrumentalize it. The correct naming, on the other hand, is not to rule the object but to take care of it as a gardener takes care of flowers. In this context, Ursula gives an anarchist, de-ordering message, and at the same time she rejects the potential of human beings to establish a legal-political order because she excludes the category of action that is only possible through names. Tolkien, on the other hand, while criticising domination and instrumental reason, also proposes a remedy that does not require a total rejection of human potential. His work, which finds its main idea in the motto power corrupts, makes us think that law is not necessarily an instrument of domination but, can also be an antidote to arbitrariness.

 One of the two points that establishes a relationship between law and literature is the legal themes in literary works, and the other is the literary character of law itself. More fundamentally, the ontological kinship between law and literature is that both construct a second world with words or names. In general, names are the mediums through which human beings construct a second world called culture. In this regard, language is a feature of the human condition. Arendt conceptualised this condition as vita activa and defined the categories of work, labour and action. This article analyzes the conceptions of power and order in two literary works by focusing on this condition of human beings called naming. Ursulas work deals with the theme of naming, based on the claim that naming is a masculine activity that is only useful to humans. By refusing to replace names, the character who returns names manifests a form of divine violence. Tolkiens work, on the other hand, distinguishes between correct and incorrect naming. In this conception, misnaming is to ignore the nature of the object and to name it to instrumentalize it. The correct naming, on the other hand, is not to rule the object but to take care of it as a gardener takes care of flowers. In this context, Ursula gives an anarchist, de-ordering message, and at the same time she rejects the potential of human beings to establish a legal-political order because she excludes the category of action that is only possible through names. Tolkien, on the other hand, while criticising domination and instrumental reason, also proposes a remedy that does not require a total rejection of human potential. His work, which finds its main idea in the motto power corrupts, makes us think that law is not necessarily an instrument of domination but, can also be an antidote to arbitrariness.

 Hukuk hem edebi metinlerdeki hukuki temalar hem de kendisinin nihayetinde bir metin olması hasebiyle edebiyatla ilişkilendirilir. Hukuk ve edebiyatın ontolojik akrabalığı ise kelimelerle ikinci bir dünya inşa etmeleridir. Kelimeler genel olarak insanın kültür adı verilen ikinci bir dünya inşa etmesini sağlar. Bu yönüyle, lisan, insanlık koşulunun bir özelliğidir. Arendt bu durumu vita activa olarak kavramsallaştırmış, iş, emek ve eylem kategorilerini tanımlamıştır. Makale adlandırma olarak ifade edilen bu özelliği merkeze alarak iki edebi eserdeki iktidar ve düzen kavrayışlarını tahlil etmektedir. Ursulanın eseri adlandırmanın eril bir faaliyet olduğu ve sadece insanın işine yaradığı iddiasına dayanarak adsızlaştırma temasını işler. Adları iade eden karakter yerlerine yenisini koymamak suretiyle ilahi şiddetin bir türünü sergilemiş olur. Tolkienin eseri ise doğru ve yanlış adlandırma arasında bir ayrım yapar. Nesnenin doğasını gözetmemek ve nesneyi araçsallaştırmak üzere adlandırmak yanlış adlandırmaktır. Doğru adlandırma ise nesneyi yönetmek değil onunla bir bahçıvanın çiçeklerle ilgilendiği gibi ilgilenmektir. Bu bağlamda Ursula anarşist, düzen kaldırıcı bir mesaj verirken yine ancak adlarla mümkün olan eylem kategorisini dışladığı için insanın hukuki-siyasi düzen kurma potansiyelini de reddetmiş olur. Tolkien ise tahakkümün ve araçsal aklın eleştirisini yaparken insan potansiyelini tümden reddetmeyi gerektirmeyen bir çare de önerir. Güç yozlaştırır mottosunda ana fikrini bulan eser, hukukun zorunlu olarak tahakküm aracı olmadığını bilakis keyfiyete karşı bir panzehir de olabileceğini düşündürtür.

Makale detayları

Naming, Order and Power: She Unnames Them All of Ursula & Lord of the Rings of Tolkien

Yazarlar:

Osman Vahdet İşsevenler

Yayıncı:

Istanbul University

Ana Başlıklar:

Environmental and Resources Law (Other)

Dergi:

İstanbul Hukuk Mecmuası Vol.82 Issue 2, pp.671-692

Belge Tipi:

Makale

Yayın Tarihi:

11/2024

Belge Dili:

İngilizce

Document ID (Org No.):

2001325607

pISSN:

2636-7734

Naming

Power

Order

Lord of the Rings

Tolkien

Ursula L. Guin

Literature and Law

Instrumental ReasonAdlandırma

Düzen

İktidar

Yüzüklerin Efendisi

Ursula L. Guin

Hukuk ve Edebiyat

Araçsal Akıl

Sayı

Makale detayları

Yazarlar: Osman Vahdet İşsevenler

Yayıncı: Istanbul University

Ana Başlıklar: Environmental and Resources Law (Other)

Dergi: İstanbul Hukuk Mecmuası Vol.82 Issue 2, pp.671-692

Belge Tipi: Makale

Yayın Tarihi: 11/2024

Belge Dili: İngilizce

Document ID (Org No.): 2001325607

pISSN: 2636-7734

Sayı

Yazarlar:

Osman Vahdet İşsevenler

Yayıncı:

Istanbul University

Ana Başlıklar:

Environmental and Resources Law (Other)

Dergi:

İstanbul Hukuk Mecmuası Vol.82 Issue 2, pp.671-692

Belge Tipi:

Makale

Yayın Tarihi:

11/2024

Belge Dili:

İngilizce

Document ID (Org No.):

2001325607

pISSN:

2636-7734