Object-Oriented Ontology as a Model of Secular Occasionalism

Abstract

This study examines Object-Oriented Ontology (OOO), developed by the American philosopher Graham Harman, as an original and contemporary philosophical approach that investigates the ontological status of objects independently of human beings, human perception, and relational determinations. OOO argues that objects exist independently not only through human mediation but also as autonomous entities in their own right. At the center of this ontology lies “secular occasionalism,” or, in Harman’s original conceptualization, “vicarious causation,” which questions how causal interaction is possible within a framework where objects cannot directly access one another and where each object withdraws into its own inner reality. While developing this approach, Harman draws upon the classical theological tradition of occasionalism, yet reinterprets it within a secular context in order to propose an alternative to anthropocentric ontologies. This article aims to analyze Harman’s model of secular occasionalism in its conceptual, metaphysical, and ontological dimensions. In addition, the philosophical background of the theory, its fundamental assumptions, the points at which it diverges from classical occasionalism, and its function within OOO are discussed in detail. In this context, the study explains the structure of OOO through central concepts such as the autonomy of objects, causality, the conception of being, and ontological independence.

Keywords

• Object-Oriented Ontology
• Quadruple Object Theory
• Metaphor
• Causality
• Secular Occasionalism

Seküler Vesilecilik Modeli Olarak Nesne Yönelimli Ontoloji

Abstract

Bu çalışmada, Amerikalı filozof Graham Harman tarafından geliştirilen Nesne Yönelimli Ontoloji (NYO), nesnelerin insandan, insan algısından ve ilişkisel belirlenimlerden bağımsız ontolojik statüsünü inceleyen özgün ve çağdaş bir felsefi yaklaşım olarak ele alınmaktadır. NYO, nesnelerin yalnızca insanlar aracılığıyla değil, kendi özerk varlıkları olarak bağımsız biçimde var olduklarını savunur. Ontolojinin merkezinde yer alan “seküler vesilecilik” ya da Harman’ın özgün kavramsallaştırmasıyla “ikame/vekaleten nedensellik”, nesnelerin birbirlerine doğrudan erişiminin mümkün olmadığı ve her nesnenin kendi içsel gerçekliğine geri çekildiği bir çerçevede nedensel etkileşimin nasıl gerçekleşebileceğini sorgular. Harman, bu yaklaşımı geliştirirken klasik teolojik vesilecilik geleneğini referans almakta, ancak bunu seküler bir bağlamda yeniden yorumlayarak insan-merkezli ontolojilere alternatif bir model sunmaktadır. Makale, Harman’ın seküler vesilecilik modelini kavramsal, metafizik ve ontolojik boyutlarıyla incelemeyi amaçlamaktadır. Ayrıca, kuramın felsefi arka planı, temel varsayımları, klasik vesilecilikten ayrıldığı noktalar ve NYO içindeki işlevi detaylı biçimde ele alınmaktadır. Bu bağlamda, çalışma nesnelerin özerkliği, nedensellik, varlık anlayışı ve ontolojik bağımsızlık gibi temel kavramlar üzerinden NYO’nun yapısını açıklamaktadır.

Keywords

• Nesne Yönelimli Ontoloji
• Dörtlü Nesne Teorisi
• Metafor
• Nedensellik
• Seküler Vesilecilik

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