Abdullah Yıldız

This study examines overlooked or underexplored fragments from Rufus of Ephesus’ On Melancholy, as cited in Abū Bakr Muḥammad b. Zakariyyāʾ al-Rāzī’s seminal medical work, The Comprehensive Book (Kitāb al-Ḥāwī fī al-Ṭibb). Through an analysis of Arabic texts and Latin translations, we present two previously unexamined fragments and one of doubtful authenticity which reference Rufus’ understanding of melancholy. Preserved across diverse linguistic and cultural contexts, these fragments illuminate the transmission of ancient Graeco-Roman medical knowledge into the Islamic Golden Age and Renaissance Europe. Arabic texts are compared with corresponding Latin editions to verify their authenticity and trace their historical transmission.

This chapter aspires to adopt a comprehensive perspective to encompass the intricate and interwoven complexities inherent in psychiatric ethics. In pursuit of this objective, it is dedicated to a thorough exposition of the historical trajectory of psychiatry ethics. The purpose of this section is to demonstrate how the epistemological trajectory of approaching mental health disorders was intertwined with the dominant social, religious, cultural, and economic paradigms of the time and how they cultivated ethical problems within this trajectory. When reading this section, it becomes evident that traces of ancient Greek, Roman, and medieval etiology and treatment approaches and their ethical indications for mental disorders still persist in some of our current practices. This awareness can assist in reevaluating and eliminating some of the irrational and unscientific beliefs and patterns in our contemporary approaches and their ethical implications.

This chapter consists of 30 clinical cases that delve into the intricate realm of ethical quandaries experienced by psychiatrists in the course of their authentic engagements with patients. The chapter involves a systematic approach to each case, beginning with a comprehensive summary that lays the groundwork for subsequent ethical examinations. Upon presenting the case summaries, the ethical predicaments inherent to the specific content are identified. To further unravel the complexities, an ethical analysis method tailored to each case's unique challenges is employed. While some cases warranted the application of a singular ethical analysis method, others demanded a more nuanced exploration, prompting the comparison of multiple ethical frameworks within the confines of the same case. The ethical analysis encompasses a diversity of approaches, including the application of principle-based analysis, virtue ethics, and deontological reasoning. Additionally, guidance provided by esteemed ethical protocols, incorporating insights from ethical guides such as the WMA Declaration of Helsinki, the WMA Declaration of Lisbon, and the Council of Europe's Oviedo Convention, is harvested in the process. This multifaceted approach allowed us to conduct a thorough and nuanced exploration of each case, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of the ethical landscape within psychiatrists' professional interactions. The juxtaposition of various ethical analysis methods not only enriched the depth of our examination but also provided a nuanced perspective that acknowledged the complexity inherent in ethical decision-making within the field of psychiatry.

Psychiatry has an exceptional place in medicine. This is due to the fact that it deals with different aspects of human beings. The history and ethics of psychiatry have become the subject of research because of the disciplinary characteristics of psychiatry. In this context, a brief but comprehensive framework of the history of psychiatry and psychiatric ethics should be presented in a book on psychiatric ethics. This section provides a comprehensive historical review of psychiatry and the evolution of psychiatric ethics, tracing the discipline’s metamorphosis from its earliest incarnations to contemporary practices. This study delves into the philosophical and medical perspectives that have shaped psychiatric thought, highlighting how ethical considerations have been deeply embedded in psychiatry since its inception. This section discusses the transformation of medical practices and the philosophical underpinnings of mental healthcare, reflecting on the evolution of patient care, societal attitudes, and the roles of medical practitioners. By examining key milestones and paradigm shifts, this section sheds light on the complex interplay between medical advancements and ethical considerations in psychiatry. It offers a nuanced understanding of psychiatry’s historical journey from ancient times to today and its implications for modern psychiatric practice.

Synthetic biology is designing and creating biological tools and systems for useful purposes. It uses knowledge from biology, such as biotechnology, molecular biology, biophysics, biochemistry, bioinformatics, and other disciplines, such as engineering, mathematics, computer science, and electrical engineering. It is recognized as both a branch of science and technology. The scope of synthetic biology ranges from modifying existing organisms to gain new properties to creating a living organism from non-living components. Synthetic biology has many applications in important fields such as energy, chemistry, medicine, environment, agriculture, national security, and nanotechnology. The development of synthetic biology also raises ethical and social debates. This article aims to identify the place of ethics in synthetic biology. In this context, the theoretical ethical debates on synthetic biology from the 2000s to 2020, when the development of synthetic biology was relatively faster, were analyzed using the systematic review method. Based on the results of the analysis, the main ethical problems related to the field, problems that are likely to arise, and suggestions for solutions to these problems are included. The data collection phase of the study included a literature review conducted according to protocols, including planning, screening, selection and evaluation. The analysis and synthesis process was carried out in the next stage, and the main themes related to synthetic biology and ethics were identified. Searches were conducted in Web of Science, Scopus, PhilPapers and MEDLINE databases. Theoretical research articles and reviews published in peer-reviewed journals until the end of 2020 were included in the study. The language of publications was English. According to preliminary data, 1,453 publications were retrieved from the four databases. Considering the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 58 publications were analyzed in the study. Ethical debates on synthetic biology have been conducted on various issues. In this context, the ethical debates in this article were examined under five themes: the moral status of synthetic biology products, synthetic biology and the meaning of life, synthetic biology and metaphors, synthetic biology and knowledge, and expectations, concerns, and problem solving: risk versus caution.

I think the important discussions on artificial intelligence tools in the last few issues of your journal have made important contributions to the literature. We have seen that many authors, especially in the field of medicine and health sciences, have followed and contributed to the topic with interest. In an article that I had previously tried to contribute to, I had argued that we should ask ethical and philosophical questions about the issue depending on the sensitivity of the issue [1]. At this point, it is possible to say that various applications of AI have a significant impact on our lives. In this article, I would like to briefly mention the concept of “the extended mind”, which has had a significant impact on fields such as the philosophy of technology and the philosophy of mind with the articles published in 1998 by the important philosophers of technology Andy Clark and David Chalmers, and then I would like to mention that this concept can form a strong basis for academic (and other) uses of artificial intelligence. However, I argue that the uses we can justify with this concept should also be balanced with ethical sensitivity, awareness, and constant questioning.