Secular Meaning Research Articles

The two-pillared laicism of the Turkish Constitutional Court: from the 1970s to the 1990s

ABSTRACT The dominant scholarly view on Turkish political history, namely the ‘centre-periphery’ approach, has vociferously put forward the judicial and military elites as anchors of an entrenched unitary historical bloc, bequeathed by the Ottoman bureaucratic cadre, which had relentlessly defended a conspicuously definite Kemalist-assertive secularism in the republican period. Diverging from this mainstream historiography, an interrogation of the period from the 1970s to the 1990s shows that (1) the Turkish judges and military did not always act in a unified bloc; at times, they could not exactly agree on the practices and meanings of secularism. Thus, especially at the height of the Cold War, the judges did not only stand in opposition to the societal religious demands but also to some of the pro-Islamic tendencies in the army; (2) the linchpin of the laicism that the judges pursued did not stand in opposition solely with the Islamic religiosity but also impeded certain secularist societal demands. By investigating a selection of court decisions, judicial opinions, and other documents following the congruence method, the article shows that actors’ strategic preferences should be deemed relevant. A revision seems necessary concerning the mainstream academic lens for understanding Turkish laicism in the past and present.

Political Islam and Secularism (Turkey as a Model)


 
 
 
 The study explores the intersection of "political Islam" and secularism, with a particular focus on Turkey as a model. Influenced by its historical legacy and cultural diversity, Turkey's social and political landscape provides a compelling case study for understanding the complex dynamics between political Islam and secularism. This introduction highlights the importance of studying this topic, defines the problem of the study, summarizes the purpose of the study, describes the approach taken, and gives an overview of the structure of the study.
 The study adopts an interdisciplinary approach, incorporating elements from political science, history, sociology, and cultural studies. Uses qualitative study methods such as archival analysis, in-depth interviews, and literature review to collect and analyze data. By combining these approaches, the study seeks to provide a comprehensive understanding of the interaction between political Islam and secularism in Turkey.
 The study is divided into sections covering the concept of political Islam, the meaning of secularism, Turkey’s unique position between secularism and political Islam, and a synthesis of the main findings and ideas. Through its analysis, the study contributes to broader discussions about the compatibility of religious and secular ideologies in diverse societies, offering implications for both Turkey and other societies grappling with the challenges posed by political Islam and secularism.
 
 
 

Understanding Communalism, Secularism and Regionalism

The main objective of this research paper is to acquire an efficient understanding of the concepts of communalism, secularism and regionalism. Communalism is a concept in terms of which individuals are required to acquire information. They need to understand that in all societies, differences are there in religious groups. In spite of being differences in religious groups, individuals possess negative feelings in terms of other religions, hence, they are giving rise to communalism. Furthermore, India is a secular country. All the citizens of the country have the right to practice the religion of his or her own choice. Regionalism is the feeling or ideology among section of individuals, who are residing in a particular region. Communalism needs to be curbed. Individuals need to understand that all religions are vital and individuals are equal. Secularism needs to be reinforced. Regionalism needs to be fought against. Communalism and regionalism give rise to impediments within the course of progression of individuals, communities and nation as a whole. On the other hand, when individuals will acknowledge the meaning and significance of secularism, they will form positive viewpoints in terms of other religions as well as the individuals. Therefore, it is necessary for the individuals to be well-informed in terms of measures, which would be facilitating in eradicating communalism and regionalism and reinforcing secularism. The main concepts that are taken into account in this research paper are, communalism, measures to deal with communalism, secularism, measures to be implemented in reinforcing secularism, regionalism and measures to combat regionalism.

Gravity of gluonic fluctuations and the value of the cosmological constant

We analyze the classical linear gravitational effect of idealized pion-like dynamical systems, consisting of light quarks connected by attractive gluonic material with a stress–energy in one or more dimensions. In one orbit of a system of total mass M, quarks of mass expand apart initially with , slow due to the gluonic attraction, reach a maximum size , then recollapse. We solve the linearized Einstein equations and derive the effect on freely falling bodies for two systems: a gluonic bubble model where uniform gluonic stress–energy fills a spherical volume bounded by a 2D surface comprising the quarks’ rest mass, and a gluonic string model where a thin string connects two pointlike quarks. The bubble model is shown to produce a secular mean outward residual velocity of test particles that lie within its orbit. It is shown that the mean gravitational repulsion of bubble-like virtual-pion vacuum fluctuations agrees with the measured value of the cosmological constant, for a bubble with a radius equal to about twice the pion de Broglie length. These results support the view that the gravity of standard QCD vacuum fluctuations is the main source of cosmic acceleration.

Basic values of contemporary Russian society in the mirror of expert opinions

The article analyzes the basic values of the Russian society. The methodological basis of the present study is the philosophical-anthropological, historical, axiological and sociological approaches. Culture is characterized as a process of purposeful cultivation of humanity in man and simultaneously as a complex self-organizing system that creates, transmits and preserves the basic values of human existence. By basic values the authors understand the socially significant artifacts of culture, which have a significant impact on the functioning and productive activities of not only individuals and social groups, but also society as a whole. It is argued that people’s perception of social reality is not arbitrary, but based on the system of basic values formed in their heads, allowing them to distinguish between good and evil, beautiful and ugly, true and false, useful and harmful, their own and others’. Basic values are ideal and objective. But their perception is always subjective. Based on a series of in-depth interviews with experts conducted by the authors in January and February 2023, conclusions are drawn that: 1) the axiosphere of Russian society is filled with mythological and media constructs, religious and secular meanings, narratives and discourses of classical and nonclassical ideologies; 2) both spontaneous circulation of traditional basic values and purposeful activities of various actors involved in spiritual production processes have a significant impact on its current state; 3) the basic values of Russians, according to the systematization of experts’ answers, are patriotism and family.

Философское «поле» конфессионализации в России: русская религиозная философия XIX в. между «официальной» церковностью и политическими теологиями

The article explores the history of Russian religious philosophy of the 19th century as a part of the history of Christianity in Russia. Such a point of view becomes possible if we analyze how Russian religious philosophers criticize the religious attitudes of the “official” Orthodox Church and secular worldview attitudes. Secular attitudes are considered in the article as “political theologies” that “continued” religion in a secular society by secular means and for secular purposes. Criticism of the “official” ecclesiality and political theologies allows us to say that Russian religious philosophers, starting from the 19th century, initiated a process that was structurally similar to the process of confessionalization in the Reformation era. Within the framework of the “hermeneutic wars” they defended their unique type of religiosity, which can be defined as “the religiosity of intellectuals”. It is through the prism of the confessionalization process that consideration of the history of Russian religious philosophy as part of the history of Christianity in Russia becomes possible; confessionalization is associated with religious conversion, which is common to most Russian religious philosophers. It is concluded that the legitimation of one's own religiosity as genuine is the main goal of Russian religious philosophers, and they use philosophy as a means for this legitimation. This legitimation is proposed to be understood as a perlocutionary aspect of Russian religious philosophy, if we consider it according to the approach of the Cambridge School of Intellectual History. Criticism, in the course of which Russian religious philosophers developed confessionalization activities, substantiating the inauthenticity of both “official” ecclesiality and political theologies, is proposed to be considered an illocutionary, warning aspect of Russian religious philosophy.

Review Essay on Jacques Berlinerblau, Secularism: The Basics

Abstract Jacques Berlinerblau’s “Secularism: The Basics” asks how much and what kind of state separation from religion is required to secure the multiple notions of secularism that have come to dominate debates on faith in the global context. By organizing the book around a distinct set of issues, including questions about the meanings of secularism and its appearance in different contexts that benefit liberal democracy, Berlinerblau implicitly gives voice to the continuity of the tradition of secularism for a large segment of the academic field that has been evolving for the last three decades. While opposing secularism as a monocultural phenomenon, he grapples with the normative pre-definition of political secularism that refers to legally binding actions of the secular state that seek to regulate the relationship between itself and religious citizens and between religious citizens.

Narendra Modi's ‘Gujarat Model’: re-moulding development in the service of religious nationalism

ABSTRACT Narendra Modi’s national leadership since 2014 is a significant marker of revitalisation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Indian politics. This article traces Modi’s association with the idea and rhetoric of development. He presented himself as vikaspurush (development man) and as a leader who would provide strong governance for India when he campaigned in the 2014 general elections. The Gujarat Model was showcased by him as the blueprint for development for the whole of India. However, a closer analysis of the developmental paradigm demonstrates that he has changed secular meanings and connotations of state-initiated development by associating state action with the rituals of pilgrimage used in the yatra (procession) politics of the Hindu nationalist movement. The article highlights the significance of the blurring of the lines between the administrative-bureaucratic process of planning and religio-spatial symbolism.

Analyzing and Combating Drinking Liquor in “Bartender” of Hemin Mukeriany with Two Poems of Drinking Liquor of Manuchari Damghani

Wine and drinking as important themes have always had clear reflections in the world of literature. Poets demonstrate their excessive zeal to the assemblage of wine and drinking. This type of literature originates from Persian literature with Rudaki and keeps being one of the underlying themes until reaches the top with Damghani. In Kurdish literature, Wine-purely secular meaning – as a dominant and pivotal theme starts with Hemn Mukryani. For thus reason Hemn is appointed among other Kurdish poets for this study. This article addresses this question, how wine and drinking reflect in both Poet’s work. In a descriptive way, this article analyses a poem of Hemn and two poems of Damghni as materials of the study. Mutual aspects of wine and drinking can be noticed in their poems. Like Damghani, Hemn uses wine to take pleasure and as sort of escapism from difficulties of life.

ПОЛІТИЗАЦІЯ ШИЇТСЬКОЇ ОБЩИНИ В ЛІВАНІ

B a c k g r o u n d . The experience of the development of Lebanese society as a social system shows that the political stability of deeply divided societies largely depends on the nature of the external factor. On the one hand, the exaggerated reaction of communities to events in Lebanese society as challenges aimed at restricting their interests led to the mobilization of efforts to support them from the outside. On the other hand, it was the external factor that acted as a catalyst for the formation of the political consciousness of Lebanese communities. In this context, the phenomenon of politicization of the Shiite community in Lebanon is of scientific interest. M e t h o d s .The following methods were used: system structural, system-functional, problem-historical, comparative, and content analysis. R e s u l t s . France's granting the Shiite community the status of an autonomous socio-cultural group within the framework of Greater Lebanon, created in 1920, began the process of expanding the political participation of the Shiite community, in which traditional political leaders (zu'ama) played a key role, in the activities of Lebanese society. The process of urbanization, which was accompanied by mass migration of the Shiite population to large cities, active involvement of some Shiites in left-wing ideologies, secular parties and movements, and the deepening crisis of the Lebanese political system, which unfolded in conditions of a high degree of influence of external factors (for example, the Syrian and Palestinian military presence, the Palestinian Israeli confrontation, the 1979 revolution in Iran and attempts to export the Shiite revolution, etc.) led to the weakening of the positions of Shiite zu'ama both within the Shiite community and in Lebanese society as a whole. In the context of the civil war (1975–1990), the process of blurring the common interests of Shiites at the community level was initiated, and a way out of the crisis was sought by intensifying external relations, transferring them to the plane of "special relations" with separate countries. In the mid-1980s, there was a fundamental difference in the approaches of Amal and Hezbollah, as the most influential Shiite organizations, to the vision of the role of the Shiite community in Lebanese society. C o n c l u s i o n s . During the period from the 1920s to the end of the 1960s – mid-1970s, the political mobilization of the Shiite community was carried out by traditional political leaders (zu'amas), primarily on the basis of patronage and client relations, while religious loyalty acted as a factor of unity of the socio-cultural group itself. In the context of the civil war in Lebanon (1975-1990) and the growing influence of external factors (in particular, the 1979 Shiite revolution in Iran), the formation of Shiite political consciousness was significantly influenced by organizations such as Amal and Hezbollah, which offered different visions of the role of the Shiite community in Lebanese society. The model of politicization of the Shiite community proposed by Amal was focused on raising the political status of Shiites within the reformed system of confessional democracy and involved the use of secular means, among other things. Hezbollah, on the other hand, considered the Lebanese political system illegitimate and in the mid-1980s set out to radicalize the political consciousness of Shiites and create an Islamic state in Lebanon similar to the Iranian one under Ayatollah Khomeini.

Secularity in Kazakhstan society: social and philosophical analysis

The issue of secularism, which was founded by M. Luther in history and is still recognized as one of the topics of discussion, is becoming increasingly important, especially in a period of increasing weight and place of religion in world politics. This article examined the basic definition and meaning of the concept of secularism, which is the main guarantee of the stability and development of the country, as well as the principles of secularity in world practice. The researchers conducted a comprehensive analysis of the nature of secularism, based on foreign scientific data and conclusions, as well as domestic scientists on this topic. Contrary to the definitions of secularism given by people with non-traditional religious worldviews, explanations were given that secularism is not atheism. The main purpose of the study is to discuss domestic and foreign research, contribute to solving problems, revealing the meaning of secularism based on the mistakes of the past and hope for the future.

Trinary Views of Secularism: Transitional Ideological Perception of Tertiary Educated People in Bangladesh

This study attempts to explore the meaning of secularism among the tertiary educated young people and to understand their perception on related issues. This paper follows mixed methods, namely convenience surveys and content analysis of credible secondary sources. From the findings, it is interesting to see that many of them opine about having ‘state religion’ besides ‘secularism’ as a basic constitutional principle (61.9%/38.1%). They believe in equal treatment for all minority religions, while at the same time they share their perception of giving priority to ‘Islam’ as the dominant religion (57.1%), which could be labelled ‘ paradoxical’. This article argues that the ideological perception is going into transition among the young people in Bangladesh with the transition of socio-economic context, which is different from the previous linear understanding of pro-secular and anti-secular dynamics. This paper also provides some pragmatic way outs from young people on how to secure the rights of minority religions in Bangladesh.

Citizenship Under Pressure: Mapping Debates Over Religious Freedom in the Second Decade in Quebec

In recent years and following a long process of secularization, social change, and immigration, Quebec is currently a diverse environment with rich dynamics around Quebecness, citizenship, identity politics, and reasonable accommodations. Following sensitive political events, Quebec saw many battles over secularism and religious pluralism. A series of debates were enmeshed with political debates about the true meaning of secularism and embroiled with fear of religion and immigrants. This ethnographic inquiry maps out the existing tendencies during different periods of repercussions and tensions around Quebec’s secularism. The article outlines key clustering patterns and ethico-religious hierarchies and their genesis while responding to the 2013 Charter of Values of Quebec, the debates on the 2014 attacks against Canadian soldiers by presumed ISIS members in Canada, and the 2019 secularism law, Bill 21, adopted by the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) government in June 2019. The fieldwork was conducted between May 2013 and June 2020 and is based on 44 events and interviews with major key participants (Catholics, Muslims, Secularists) in Montreal. The main findings show that the dynamics behind the incongruities within social groups appear to be generating overlapping alliances; while discourses of many groups seem to be unified in appearance, they are divided into many layers, which serves the purpose of opposing or supporting the government’s policies and legislation. Partnerships created in such conditions remain ephemeral, restrained with an allegiance to the same political tendency, and controlled by cultural or ideological homogeneity. Furthermore, there is more hate and violence when perpetrators believe that they benefit from anonymity.

Conceptions of Nature in Religious, Scientific and Historical Overview: A Brief Analysis

It is difficult to identify nature with an exact meaning. Depending on circumstances and perspectives the term “nature” has various meanings ranging from spiritual participatory to mechanistic understanding. Having these complexities and ambiguous connotations the current research tries to investigate into some conceptual understanding of nature regarding traditional ideas and modern scientific views. There will also be an endeavor to see nature from a short historical survey. The paper aims to examine these conceptions in the light of environmental sustainability: which understanding of nature seems better to reform the dominating attitudes of humans toward the natural environment? Being critical of conventional and secular meanings of nature, the current paper proceeds to show how an understanding of a different kind can allow humans to behave with their surroundings. In so doing, the present study wants to shed more lights on natural environment, and to add more knowledge to the present discussions of ecological equilibrium. Philosophy and Progress, Vol#69-70; No#1-2; Jan-Dec 2021 P 173-188

Coronavirus Pandemic and Construction of False Narratives:

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to understand as how Coronavirus as a pandemic is mis-utilized in construction of a false narrative, which has encouraged religious hatred and subsequent discrimination, as well as hate crimes against minority community in India. More specifically the paper looks into the role of various social media platforms as well as news agencies (in spreading half baked information, false information and misinformation) to unfold the root cause behind demonizing a particular community.
 Design/methodology/approach – The design is exploratory in nature and the data collected are from secondary sources. The approach is to understand the impact from a new point of view.
 Findings– The findings of the study reveal that the false creation of a narrative has led Muslims to face severe hardships’ thereby destroying the true meaning of secularism. The study reveals that Muslims as a community were already discriminated and the pandemic has added voluminously to their woes.
 Originality/value – This paper tries to give a new perspective of the impact of the pandemic. Most of the research papers have tried to understand the impact of pandemic on the social aspects, however no research paper has tried to understand the social hatred due to COVID-19

“The great sin of today is the ‘politicization’ of our Judaism, the great need, the ‘Judaization’ of our politics”: Leon Roth and the possibilities of a Jewish critique of Zionist politics

ABSTRACT This article explores the possibilities and limitations of a Jewish critique of Zionist politics and the State of Israel, via an engagement with the writings of Leon Roth (1896–1963). Specifically, the article focuses on three main themes: (a) the relation between Judaism and Jews, questioning the “ethnicist” foundation of Zionist ideology; (b) the relation between religion and politics as the two are constructed in modern European discourse, questioning the nationalist premise of the supremacy of nation-statist politics over religion; and (c) the meaning of Jewish secularism, questioning the Zionist claim to a “non-religious” Jewish identity. I argue that Roth’s critique of the moral failures of Zionism offers an illuminating explication of a Jewish critique of “the Jewish state”, while ultimately failing to form a coherent political voice because of its commitment to the concept of modern, nation-statist sovereignty.

What is democratic backsliding?

What is democratic backsliding?

Theological and Secular Meanings about Freedom of Conscience in Fantasia über "Ein' feste Burg" Op.1. No. 2 by Rudolf Lassel

Theological and Secular Meanings about Freedom of Conscience in Fantasia über "Ein' feste Burg" Op.1. No. 2 by Rudolf Lassel

"Comprehensive, Combining, and Subtle": Ishmael's Philosophy of Connection in Melville's Moby-Dick

This paper explores the lived philosophy of Ishmael in Herman Melville’s epic, Moby-Dick, particularly as it contrasts with Captain Ahab. Furthermore, this paper examines how Ahab’s narcissism ushers him towards death, while Ishmael’s collectivism guides him towards life. While Ahab is obsessed with himself and his goal of killing Moby Dick, which leads to his own demise, Ishmael is focused on exploring people and their respective philosophies in order to express the infinite spiritual aspects of human life. Ishmael learns from his mistakes, listens to the perspectives of others, and searches for spirituality through various religious and secular means. The form of the novel mirrors its narrator’s wide and wandering curiosity, as Ishamel shares with the reader both the narrative story of the Pequod and worldly facts about the sperm whale. The novel’s form enhances Ishamel’s actions within the story, revealing a nuanced philosophy that values human connection and curiosity. While some scholars have made claims that Ishmael’s narrative style reflects his confusion or ambiguity, this paper argues that it is actually evidence of a life-sustaining philosophy, one which eventually saves Ishmael from being swallowed by the whirlpool caused by Ahab’s pride.

Inventing Islam(ism): De-Islamization under Secular Authoritarianism in Bangladesh

The presence of Islamism in Muslimistan necessitates a secular age, as only in a secular age does it become possible to be for or against Islam due to the decentering of Islam as the default organizing premise of Muslim societies. Within this fundamental de-Islamization or secularization of Muslim societies, further de-Islamization is made possible by secular power’s ability to dictate and even produce Islam, which continues to perpetually shift the meanings of secularism and Islamism in accordance with the European Enlightenment’s notion of progress. The banality and universality of secularism, and markedness and provinciality of Islam(ism), ensure that only the (perceived) absence of secularism and (perceived) presence of Islamism are felt – never the other way around. Bangladesh’s recent authoritarian turn, its social engineering during secular authoritarianism, and the recent calls for democratization – all point towards the secularist politics of de-Islamization which invents Islam(ism) in de-Islamization, and which then explains the failings of secularism through the regime and Bangladesh’s “Islamist character”. The implications include a never-ending de-Islamization process, spelling the end of the post-Islamism thesis, as post-Islamism becomes an impossible state. Secular power invents in post-Islamism a new Islamism, delaying the post-Islamist moment ad infinitum.