Prof. Dr. Sadettin Ökten, speaking at the talk titled “Civilization, Culture and Identity” organized by the Islamic Sciences Club, addressed the relationship between action, value, and identity, stating, “Action is culture, and the value behind it is civilization.”
Prof. Dr. Sadettin Ökten, who was a guest at the talk titled “Civilization, Culture and Identity” organized by the Islamic Sciences Club, discussed the relationship between value, action, and identity, as well as the elements of action and identity construction. The program was attended by İZÜ Secretary General Dr. Fatih Hasdemir, Dean of the Faculty of Islamic Sciences Prof. Dr. Hasan Kamil Yılmaz, Dean of the Faculty of Sports Sciences Mustafa Zahit Serarslan, academics, and students.
In his greeting speech before the program, Dean of the Faculty of Islamic Sciences Prof. Dr. Hasan Kamil Yılmaz stated that Sadettin Ökten is an important figure who carried to the present the torch lit during the Republican period by his father and teacher, Celaleddin Ökten. Saying, “Every civilization establishes its own culture and builds its identity,” Yılmaz emphasized the importance of recognizing the fundamental values of Islamic civilization and transferring these values to the present.
ÖKTEN: “CIVILIZATION IS MY PERSONAL MATTER”
Beginning his speech by referring to his own life experience, Prof. Dr. Sadettin Ökten said, “Civilization is my personal matter. I received a serious education at home and within the family. Then I studied in modernist schools. I lived and worked in the Western countries that are their main source,” pointing to what the concept of civilization means to him. Noting that in his 40s he began to reflect on the correspondence of what he learned at home in the modern world, Ökten expressed the result of his questioning with the following words: “Modernity has an urgent need for us, Muslims. It needs our smile, our asking about one another, our not looking with ill intent, envy, or jealousy—but it is not aware of it.”
“ACTION IS CULTURE, AND THE VALUE BEHIND IT IS CIVILIZATION”
Addressing the relationship between action, value, and identity within a systematic framework, Sadettin Ökten said, “Human beings exist through their actions. Our actions develop within a system. We perform actions according to certain preferences. What makes us choose these? This question confronts us with the concept of value.” Stating that the determining factor behind human actions is values, Ökten emphasized that action gains meaning through these values and that identity emerges within this framework, saying, “Your identity is understood from the quality of your actions. All our actions constitute culture. The closer the real approaches the ideal, the better the integrity of identity is manifested.”
“THE CONCEPTS WE USE SHAPE OUR MINDS”
Drawing attention to the consequences that may arise from the inconsistency between value and action, Ökten continued: “If I do not act as I believe, a contradiction arises between my action and my value. When one gets used to this, the system erodes. These must come closer to each other. When a person begins to live with a value foreign to their own value system, the consistency in their actions deteriorates. We must see the value behind every form that comes to us and compare it with our own values. The concepts we use are also important. Although they may seem small, these are elements that shape and secularize our minds.” Referring to a verse at the end of his speech, Ökten stated, “‘I did not create jinn and humans except to worship Me’ is a manifesto and shapes life. When you believe in this, you learn how to act and perform actions in this direction. These actions reveal identity. Action is culture, and the value behind it is civilization.”