The paradigm is shifting: A return to fundamental concepts

The Soviets collapsed. The aftermath is well-known. The banner of human rights and democracy was hoisted. Anyone who looked askance at the Atlantic alliance or did not fully surrender was attacked under the guise of this banner. 

The concepts of human rights and democracy were so sanctified that they became empty signifiers. Almost everything could be brought under the scope of 'human rights.' Everything was defined through 'democracy.' For the sake of the free market and, ultimately, globalization, every policy was polished with the terms 'human rights' and 'democracy.' You can listen to Prof. Dr. Ali Murat Özdemir explain how imperialism uses human rights as a shield for itself: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCgP9-Lzg3E

Philosopher Kuçuradi warned repeatedly from the front of truth: 'The right to property is not a human right.' Of course, this does not mean that the right to property is unimportant or unnecessary. However, one must not allow the right to property to be polished with human rights. 

On the other hand, the unquestioning acceptance of the concept of human rights is also interesting. For human rights and democracy are institutions produced by human reason and humanity in a specific era, in the face of specific problems. Natural rights are the undisputed acceptance of the natural law school. However, as the name suggests, it is an 'acceptance.' There are also views that address rights through concrete needs, power, and possibilities. Unfortunately, these views do not find their proper place in academia or the media. 

Every era has different needs and different problems. For instance, the people of Turkey have urgent problems: housing, internal peace, trust in the law and the state, living securely, etc. On a global scale, there is a need for common, public-oriented, and global policies against the global climate catastrophe and threats like pandemics. As such, the necessity of resorting to 'tradition,' 'traditional institutions,' or 'the masses' to solve problems whose solutions are clearly evident is now becoming a hindrance to humanity. This is partly why the paradigm  is changing. When you need to force everyone to wear a mask, or when you need to force governments to adopt certain policies against the global climate catastrophe, the institutions of the world we know do not meet our needs. These needs are the needs of us all. However, it is difficult to reach a consensus on some needs. When the urgent needs of a certain class or social group are at stake, old institutions do not work either. For example, regarding the refugee problem or the housing problem in our country. In these matters, international law, dominant understandings, traditional solutions, and resorting to the vote of the masses do not work. Yet, there is a clear need for urgent measures. I recommend you read the article by my esteemed professor, Prof. Dr. Duran Bülbül, titled 'Is social housing a dream?': https://12punto.com.tr/yazarlar/duran-bulbul/sosyal-konut-hayal-mi-72987

The paradigm is shifting. For almost every layer and group that makes up society, existing understandings, institutions, and solutions are no longer useful. A new paradigm is being established, and will continue to be. The shaping of this paradigm depends on power relations, technological capabilities, and the mental world of societies. However, we are in an era where all of these are changing very rapidly. As a result of extreme specialization and the production frenzy of independent production centers, dizzying developments are taking place in all these areas. Therefore, the paradigm shift will not fit into the constructs of specific centers. As power relations and opportunities change, the constructs will also change. They are already changing. We shall see. Structures that somehow survived until the 20th century will undergo rapid transformation. 

This powerful and sudden change makes it necessary for us to re-examine all concepts of the humanities and politics from the very foundation. It is time to question even our most basic assumptions. We are now in uncharted waters.