The Changing Definition of Human Nature From Traditional to Contemporary Approaches: A View of Human Nature in The Philosophy of Information

Year 2024, Volume: 23 Issue: 2, 381 - 414, 30.09.2024

Nesibe Kantar

https://doi.org/10.20981/kaygi.1515142

Abstract

The issue of what human nature is an important issue for understanding the present and building the future. The place of human beings in the universe as well as their duty, their relationship with society, and their environment has been shaped by the meaning attributed to human nature. This article examines the transformation that the understanding of human nature in traditional philosophy has undergone after the information revolution from the perspective of information philosophy. Information technologies, which have integrated into every area of our lives after the information revolution, has deeply affected our scientific, economic, intellectual, and cultural activities. With the information revolution, human nature has been redefined with its characteristics that participate in design and creation activities, thanks to its interaction abilities, which are information-processing capacities, beyond biological and spiritual characteristics. The understanding of human nature has been addressed in different historical periods since the mythological period. The subject here is to evaluate the understanding of human nature from the traditional to the present. The anthropocentric understanding of humans, traditionally defined in the context of biological, physiological, and spiritual characteristics, is defined in the philosophy of information in a holistic context as an agent with information processing capacity, an informational object. As an entity that carries and processes information, humans are evaluated in the same category as information technologies such as cybernetic systems and artificial intelligence, although they have different characteristics, as informational objects. In addition, this study aims to provide a new perspective to the literature by examining the change process in the understanding of human nature.

Keywords

Philosophy of Information, Human Nature, Information and Technologies, Artificial Intelligence, Cybernetics

Gelenekselden Çağdaş Yaklaşımlara İnsan Doğasının Değişen Tanımı: Bilişim Felsefesinde İnsan Doğasına Bakış

Abstract

İnsan doğasının ne olduğu konusu şimdinin anlaşılması, geleceğin inşası için önemlidir. Zira tarih boyunca insanın evren içindeki yeri, görevi, toplum ve çevresi ile olan ilişkisi insan doğasına yüklenen anlamla şekillenmiştir. Bu makale geleneksel felsefedeki insan doğası anlayışının, bilişim devrimi sonrasında uğradığı dönüşümü bilişim felsefesi perspektifinden ele almakta ve sorgulamaktadır. Bilişim devrimi sonrasında hayatımızın her alanına entegre olan bilişim teknolojileri bilimsel, ekonomik, düşünsel ve kültürel faaliyetlerimizi derinden etkilemiştir. Bilişim devrimi ile birlikte insan doğası, biyolojik ve ruhsal özelliklerin ötesinde bilgi-işlem kapasitesi olan iletişim ve etkileşim yetenekleri sayesinde tasarım ve yaratma etkinliğine katılan özellikleri ile yeniden tanımlanmıştır. Mitolojik dönemden itibaren insan ve doğasının anlaşılması farklı tarihsel dönemlerde ele alınmış ve çağdaş düşüncede insanın yeni doğa anlayışının çeşitli filozoflar tarafından nasıl yorumlandığı, gelenekselden günümüze nasıl evrildiği detaylandırılmakta ve analiz edilmektedir. Gelenekselde biyolojik, fizyolojik ve ruhsal özellikler bağlamında tanımlanan antroposentrik insan anlayışı, bilişim felsefesinde bilgi işlem kapasitesine sahip bir agent olarak, holistik bağlamda bir bilişim nesnesi olarak tanımlanmaktadır. Bilgi taşıyan ve işleyen bir varlık olarak insan, iletişim ve etkileşimde bulunan bir mekanizma ile sibernetik sistemler ve yapay zekâ gibi bilişim teknolojileri ile farklı özelliklere sahip olsa da bir bilişim nesnesi olarak aynı kategoride değerlendirilmektedir. Ayrıca bu çalışma ile insan doğası anlayışının değişim süreci konusu irdelenerek literatüre yeni bir bakış açısı kazandırma hedeflenmektedir.

Keywords

Bilişim Felsefesi, İnsan Doğası, Bilişim ve Teknolojileri, Yapay Zekâ, Sibernetik

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