Philosopher, translator. She was born on August 26,
1950 in Istanbul.
She is the wife of Linguist Yusuf Çotuksöken. She graduated from Hobyarlı Ahmet Pasha Primary
School, Istanbul Girls’ High School and Istanbul University,
Faculty of Literature, Department of Philosophy (1972). She worked as a teacher
and as an administrator in secondary schools at Istanbul
(Darussafaka and Huseyin
Rahmı Gurpınar
High Schools) (1972-78).
She worked at the Istanbul University Central Library for a while (1978-82) and
then she became a research assistant at Istanbul University, Faculty of
Literature, Department of Philosophy, Subdivision of Systematic Philosophy and
Logic in 1982. She became a doctor in 1984, an associate professor in 1988 and
professor in 1996. Her Ph.D. thesis was about “The Moral Understanding of
Petrus Abelardus”. She worked as Istanbul
University, Hasan Ali Yücel Faculty of
Education Department Head of Turkish Education (1999-00), and as visiting
scholar at Uludag University (1991-94), Mimar
Sinan University
(1996-98) and Istanbul
Technical University
(1997-01). She continued with her career as a lecturer at Maltepe University
Faculty of Sciences and Literature. She worked as Vice Rector, Erasmus
Coordinator, Vice Dena of Faculty of Sciences and Literature and as the
Department Head of Philosophy.
Her first article was published in Türk Dili journal
(August 1978), followed by Gergedan, Argos,
İnsancıl, Bilim ve Ütopya journals and Cumhuriyet newspaper; Cumhuriyet
Kitap, Cumhuriyet Bilim Teknik attachments
and in Türkiye Felsefe Kurumu Bülteni. She worked as editorial board member of
the same newsletter and as editor of Maltepe University Journal of Faculty of
Science and Literature. She prepared and hosted the program named Philosophy
Chats at Istanbul Radio (January 1998- June 1999). She participated in several
radio and TV programs as speaker. Her area of expertise is the philosophy of middle
Ages. She has been concentrating on the establishment of philosophy as a
discourse and therefore she studies on ethics and human rights within the
context of “argument on universals” which appeared in middle Ages around the
concepts of existence, memory, language and information philosophy; she also
examines the relation between the concepts of “subject” and “discourse”. The
standing ground of her unique understanding can be summarized as the
understanding of “nominalist” entity against the “essentialist” approach. She also conducts studies at different levels
for the teaching of philosophical discourse. She established Maltepe University
Department of Philosophy. She received İnsancıl Journal Contribution to the
Enlightenment Award (1999), Maltepe University Excellence Award (2004) and Troy
Folkloric Research Association Special Award of Jury (2005). She has
contributed to the world of thought as Executive Board Member and Vice
President of Turkish Philosophy Institution, Société Internationale pour l’Étude
de la Philosophie Médiévale member, Fédération Internationale des Sociétés de
Philosophie Executive Board member, and as the Organization Committee member of
22nd World Philosophy Congress (2008, Seoul).
WORKS:
ESSAY-RESEARCH: Petrus Abelardus’un Ahlak Anlayışı
(1988, Phd. thesis), Metinlerle Ortaçağda Felsefe (with Saffet Babür,
1989), Felsefi Söylem Nedir? (1991), Ortaçağ Yazıları (1993), Felsefe’yi
Anlamak Felsefe ile Anlamak (1995), Nermi Uygur’un Felsefe Dünyası’ndan
Kesitler (1995), Kavramlara Felsefe ile Bakmak (1998), Cumhuriyet
Döneminde Türkiye’de Öğretim ve Araştırma Alanı Olarak Felsefe (anthology,
2001), Felsefe: Özne-Söyleme (2002), Radyoda Felsefe (2002), Bedia Akarsu Armağanı (edit. with Doğan Özlem, 2006).
EDITING:
Felsefe Açısından Eğitim ve Türkiye’de Eğitim (proceedings, 1996), Bedia
Akarsu Armağanı (with Doğan Özlem, 2002), Felsefe
Söyleşileri I-II (2003).
TRANSLATION:
Isagoge-Aristoteles’in Kategorilerine Giriş (dialectic
book, from Porphyrios, 1986), Bir Mutsuzluk Öyküsü (philosophy, from P.
Abelardus, 1988), Avrupa: Roma Yolu (from R. Brague, 1995), Ortaçağ
Felsefesi (from E. Jeauneau, 1998).
REFERENCE: Mustafa Günay / Felsefe Açından Kavramlara Bir Bak