FROM PROMETHEUS TO KHALIFA… HUMAN BEHAVIOUR OF THE EAST AND WEST

Abstract

The aim of this study is to assess human behaviors, based on the information about the first human on Eastern and Western civilizations. This study, which is carried out without entering the theories of conflict between civilizations, basically emphasizes on the difference of the human conceptions of both civilizations. Since Western civilization originated in ancient Greece, Western type human prototype was discussed in terms of the information’s given in Greek mythology. Prometheus myth was discussed in the context of mainly human but with handling side variants of God and women. As a human prototype of Eastern civilization, information’s provided by Islam/Qur'an in the creation of human have been evaluated. The information given by both civilizations to human beings is seen to shape our present world in terms of God, human, universe, women, science, power etc. As Prometheus legend was evaluated in terms of the Western human prototype, firstly a brief myth/mythology description was made in this study. It is difficult to make a common definition about the myth that everybody will accept; but it is possible to say that mythology shapes the present world. Prometheus is a legend that continues its vitality in various fields from literature to sports and is interpreted in different forms. Prometheus is a titan, who take side of Zeus in war against Zeus and immortality was given to him because of this. This titan is the one who created the first human, shaped him like God, equipped him with various qualities and have taken the part of human always against cruel God. This was same also in the case of sacrifice, which should be shared fairly among the Gods and human. Prometheus deceived Zeus with his cunning and made sure that the nice parts of the meat were kept in the human. Zeus, who is angry about this event, has taken fire from people. Prometheus opposed this order of Zeus and brought fire to human. The worth of this event was punishment of Prometheus with chain and eaten of his liver every day by an eagle, and human was punished with Pandora. Pandora is the first woman who is ornamented by Goddess and a crate/box was given to her as a wedding gift. With the loss of her curiosity Pandora opened the box that she shouldn’t, and all the evils spread to the earth. Human, who had not met with disaster until that time, has faced all evil with Pandora. This myth implies the connection between God and human, the steal of fire/knowledge, the spread of all the disasters on the earth with a woman's hand and reveals the human concept of the West. Revolt/rebellion against the Church/God, lifting the creative idea, seeing the means of dominion of knowledge and counting all the ways for it, loading the similarity/paradox of sin between Prometheus and Jesus, the value of the woman over the centuries and the striking resemblance of the image of Pandora-Eve… The information given by the Qur'an on the creation of human has been evaluated as the human imagination of the East. As expressed in various patterns of Qur’an, human is created from soil. The status of the human, who comes to the stage of existence with the soul blowing, was exalted by teaching Adam all names by God. Adam and Eve has done a crime that causes them to be removed from heaven; but this error has not turned into an accusative one in the Qur'an; common expression patterns are used. In addition, the expression of the human dignity because of this error was not used to mold. The two most important concepts that stand out in the human conception of the East are the servant and the khalifa. These two words, as evidenced by the connotations of the name, are totally religious-oriented, and the human being is the most important feature in the East. The servant and the khalifa expresses a lot in a world which is full of Prometheus and trying to break off ties with religion. These words not only determine the position of man in the universe, but also with the message they gave it tells us that human must never forget that there is a Creator and he/she has sense of responsibility for his actions. Before all things, human is a creature that is created by Allah. While he knows nothing, and his raw materials are so simple (soil/mud/slime/semen etc.), he became extraordinary with the given variety of limbs/talents, he was equipped with the authority and the universe has been subservient to him. However, the essential to these people is not to forget the fact that he doesn’t own them, they are just the blessing of the Supreme Creator/Allah. Therefore, he must not rely on the special features that are found in him and heavenly self-mutuality to unnecessary pride as God. In light of this information’s, it is possible to see how the worldview of these two civilizations is separated from each other. While the West is in an anthropocentric understanding, the East has a theocentric understanding and this difference is most determinant in the issues of God, human, women, universe, morality, power etc. Of course, there will be differences between a conscious awareness of ontological difference and a conscious awareness of an understanding of God as a competitor of people. There is a profound gap between the expectation of a savior who rescued man from eternal slavery with an understanding rebellion to God’s and to undertake the responsibility of one's actions and give him freedom to provide space for action on earth. As a matter of fact, the reflections of the understanding of religion, which describes man and woman as a whole, is quite different with understanding of the man's suffered and punished with the woman's hand. With a God imagination that does not give people fire/knowledge and a Creator who teaches names to Adam, represents the opposite polarities, and the day-to-day repercussions are quite different when this is considered in the context of science ethics. As a result, these differences, in fact, emerged from the meanings of the sacred burden. Whil

Özet

Bu çalışma, Doğu ve Batı Medeniyetinin insan tasavvurlarından yola çıkarak bir değerlendirme yapmayı amaçlamaktadır. Batı medeniyetinin kökenleri Antik Yunan’a dayandığı için, Yunan mitolojisinin insanın yaratılışı ile ilgili verdiği bilgiler, Prometheus efsanesi bağlamında ele alınmıştır. Prometheus, yaygın olarak bilinen, günümüzde sanattan spora pek çok alanda canlılığını gösteren bir mittir; ilk insanın yaratılışında, çeşitli yetenekler verilmesinde ve insanoğlunun Olympos’un tanrılarına başkaldırısına önderlik eden mitolojik karakterdir. Doğu’nun insan tasavvuru bağlamında ise, Kur’an’ın ilk insana dair vermiş olduğu ayetler değerlendirilmiştir. Hz. Âdem’in yaratılışı ile ilgili bilgilerden hareketle, insana yüklenen kul ve halife kavramları ele alınmıştır. Kul ve halife, insanoğlunun yeryüzündeki varlığını anlamlandıran ve ona sorumluluk yükleyen iki önemli kavramdır. Dolayısıyla çalışma, Prometheus efsanesindeki veriler ve kul-halife bağlamındaki bilgilerle, her iki medeniyetin insanın dünyadaki varlığını anlamlandırma sürecinden başlayarak ilerlemiştir. İlk insanla ilgili bilgiler, kadın konusunda özel olarak durmayı gerektirdiği için, Pandora ve Hz. Havva hakkında değerlendirmeler yapılmıştır. Pandora, mitolojide ilk kadın olarak bilinmektedir; yaratılış sebebi, o zamana kadar sadece erkekten oluşan insanoğluna yaptıkları hatalara karşı verilen ceza olmasıdır. Bütün kötülüklerin yeryüzüne Pandora sebebiyle yayıldığına inanılır. Hz. Havva şahsında çizilen kadın algısı ise, mitolojideki anlatıdan tamamen uzaktır. Cennetten düşüşe sebep olan hadisede, kadın cinsine özel olarak hiçbir suçun isnad edilemeyeceği, Kur’an metninden açıkça anlaşılmaktadır. Yapılan hata ve mukabilindeki ceza, kadın-erkek eşit olarak verilmiştir. İlk kadın hakkındaki veriler, toplumların kadın imajı hakkında çarpıcı verilere sahiptir. Medeniyetler arası çatışma teorilerine girmeden yürütülen bu çalışma, her iki medeniyetinin insan tasavvurlarından kaynaklanan farklılıklara değinmiştir. Sonuçta Batı’nın insana yüklediği misyon Prometheusçu bir tavırken, Doğu’nun insanı her şeyden önce kul ve halifedir.