Continuity and Boundaries in Human-Animal Comparison in the Context of al-jahiz’s Kitab al-Hayawân

Abstract

In the modern era, various disciplines have conducted interdisciplinary research on animal cognition and the evolution of language ability to investigate the similarities and differences between human and nonhuman animals. The central issues raised in these studies have their roots in philosophical literature. Al-Jahiz. (born 776, died 868/869), an Arabic prose writer, theologian, and litterateur, stands out in this literature for his determinations that deviate from the dominant paradigm of his time. In his Kitab al-Hayawan, al-Jahiz. , on the one hand, supposes a kind of continuity between human beings and nonhuman animals by highlighting certain similarities in terms of their abilities of istidlal (inference, deduction, reasoning based on effective cause) and nutq (the process of making sounds by organs of speech). On the other hand, he keeps the boundaries by mentioning the fundamental difference between humans in terms of these two abilities within the framework of the book’s central concept of maratib (creation ranks). Through a methodological and contextual analysis of the work, this study examines how the continuity and boundaries between human and nonhuman animals are reconciled in al-Jahiz. ’s thought and what this way of thinking means for fundamental questions in contemporary linguistics and philosophy of mind.

Keywords

• Cognition
• linguistics
• istidlal
• nutq
• maratib

Câhız’ın Kitâbü’l-Hayevân Adlı Eseri Bağlamında İnsan-Hayvan Karşılaştırmasında Süreklilik ve Sınır

Abstract

Modern dönemde çeşitli bilim dalları tarafından disiplinler arası bir biçimde yürütülen hayvan bilişine ve dil yetisinin evrimine yönelik araştırmalarda, insan ve insan-olmayan hayvanlar arasındaki benzerlikler ve farklılıklar ile bunların dayanakları araştırılmaktadır. Bu çalışmalarda öne sürülen temel soruların kökeni, felsefi literatürde çok eskiye dayanır. Bu literatür içerisinde, bulunduğu dönemin hakim paradigmasından ayrılacak tespitleriyle, Arap edebiyatının en önemli nesir yazarlarından ve Mu’tezile kelâmcılarından biri olan Câhız (d. 776, ö. 868/869) ön plana çıkar. Câhız, hayvan tür ve davranışlarını tecrübeyi esas alan bir yöntemle incelediği, en önemli eseri sayılabilecek Kitâbü’l Hayevân adlı eserinde, bir yandan akıl yürütme/çıkarımda bulunma (istidlâl) ve konuşma/söyleyiş (nut .k) kabiliyetleri açısından insan ve insan-olmayan hayvanlar arasında belirli benzerlikleri öne çıkararak bir çeşit süreklilik öngörürken, bir yandan da kitabın dayandığı varlık/yaratılış mertebeleri (merâtib) düşüncesi çerçevesinde bu iki yeti açısından insanın temel farklılığına değinerek sınırları korur. Bu çalışmada, Câhız’ın Kitâbü’l Hayevân adlı eserinin yöntemsel ve içeriksel olarak incelenmesiyle, insan ve insan-olmayan hayvanlar arasındaki süreklilik ve sınırların Câhız düşüncesinde nasıl uzlaştırıldığı ve bu düşünce biçiminin çağdaş dilbilim ve zihin felsefesi tartışmalarının temel soruları açısından anlamı ele alınacaktır.

Keywords

• Biliş
• dil yetisi
• istidlâl
• nu.tk
• merâtib

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