The politician's jugular vein

In our commercial law, there is an expression called the "prudent merchant." A merchant is expected to be prudent. In common parlance, a business person is expected to "tie their donkey to a sturdy stake." Let us elaborate on this matter.

In an article I co-authored with my esteemed professor Hilmi Demir, we addressed this subject from the perspective of philosophy, and more specifically, critical thinking. See: "Mill’s Criterion of Maturity: Critical Thinking and the Power of Judgment," Journal of the Faculty of Science and Letters, T.C. Maltepe University, 2018. In this article, inspired by John Stuart Mill's work On Liberty, we examined the power of discernment (the ability to reach a judgment with a critical mind) as a criterion of maturity and, consequently, a prerequisite for freedom.

Among the merchant peoples of the Middle East, a criterion for the power of discernment was the skill of conducting trade. More specifically, it was the ability to act like a prudent merchant without falling victim to exorbitant prices or fraud. In Jewish history, a criterion for coming of age was the power of a young person facing moral dilemmas to interpret the teachings of the holy book and move from law to action. As you can see, maturity was essentially associated with being prudent, making the right decisions, and taking the right steps.

In essence, the prudence of the citizens of the modern state—in other words, the State of Citizens—is precisely this power of discernment. A citizen should not be easily deceived. While protecting their rights against those in power and aggressors, they must properly fulfill their duties as a means of safeguarding those rights.

Political party leaders who aspire to lead citizens must be even more prudent. They must possess at least as much prudence as a merchant. Candidates for leadership must avoid relationships, habits, and cognitive errors that would hinder their decision-making power. If they are overwhelmed by the state of extreme caution this brings, or if they fail to avoid these pitfalls, they should not aspire to leadership.

Those who cannot control their anger, manage their emotions, or control what comes out of their mouths... Let us say this in a "local and national" language... Those who cannot control their hands, their tongues, and their loins should not step forward. Was that too sectarian? Let us express it in more secular language... A leadership candidate should not give their opponent an opening.

While secularism is currently being blown away, let us speak freely... Let us recall the 16th verse of Surah Qaf: "And We have already created man and know what his soul whispers to him, and We are closer to him than [his] jugular vein." That is it... There is a need for leaders who know this verse and, consequently, know themselves. If a leadership candidate knows what their own soul whispers to them, they will not fall into negligence, imprudence, or betrayal. Does such a person exist? I do not know. But it is our right to demand such a person. Moreover, while they may not be a perfect human (insan-ı kamil), would it not be nice if they had walked a little way down that path? Is it not both morally and politically the most correct thing to try not to stray from the Straight Path (Sırat-ı Müstakim)?

Especially in Turkey... When the government, your opponents, and those right beside you are almost as close to you as your jugular vein...