Zakir Kaya

Salt has played an important role throughout human history, not only as a flavoring agent but also in food preservation, the development of dietary cultures, and the expansion of trade. Today, differences among rock salt, sea salt, and refined table salt are debated in terms of mineral composition, processing methods, iodine content, potential contaminants, and health effects. These debates encompass approaches that emphasize the superiority of naturally sourced salts and public health perspectives that primarily assess salt in terms of sodium intake. This study critically examines rock salt and refined table salt in light of the available scientific literature rather than placing them within a one-sided framework of superiority or harmfulness. It is a narrative literature review and does not present a new laboratory experiment or clinical investigation. The literature indicates that the mineral composition of salts may vary according to their source and the specific product; the presence of trace elements does not, by itself, establish a meaningful nutritional advantage; and natural origin does not guarantee the absence of contaminants. Likewise, the refining process alone does not establish that a salt product is harmful to health. The study also examines salt's role in food preservation, the public health importance of iodine fortification, and the risks associated with excessive sodium consumption. It argues that consumer choices should be based not merely on the labels "natural" or "refined," but on verifiable product composition, iodine content, safety standards, intended use, and total salt intake.

Abstract: Approximately 2,400 years have passed since Plato's philosophical thought emerged. States have changed, empires have risen and fallen, religions and systems of thought have encountered one another, and science has radically transformed humanity's understanding of the universe. Yet some thinkers have not remained confined to the past; they continue to shape the ways in which subsequent generations think. Plato stands at the forefront of these thinkers. Plato should be considered not merely as a philosopher, but as a thinker who established one of the most influential forms through which philosophy questions itself. His enduring power does not arise solely from particular doctrines he proposed. His deeper influence lies in placing human beings once again before the things they believe they know. The central argument of this essay is that fidelity to an intellectual heritage does not mean preserving its conclusions as immutable truths. Rather, it means using the intellectual space opened by that heritage to ask more advanced questions. From this perspective, Plato is not merely a philosopher to be read; he becomes an intellectual threshold that must also be transcended. Özet (Türkçe): Platon’un düşünce dünyasından bu yana yaklaşık 2.400 yıl geçti. Bu çalışma, bir entelektüel mirasa sadakat göstermenin, onun ulaştığı sonuçları değişmez gerçekler olarak saklamak anlamına gelmediğini; aksine o mirasın açtığı entelektüel alanı daha ileri sorular sormak için kullanmak demek olduğunu vurgulamaktadır. Bu perspektiften bakıldığında Platon, sadece okunacak bir filozof değil, aynı zamanda aşılması gereken entelektüel bir eşiktir.

In the literature on technological transformation, the process of digitalization is often examined through the technical development and chronological sequencing of technological tools. This study instead examines the perceptual and behavioral changes produced by technology in social life through an autoethnographic approach based on events I personally witnessed from my childhood and youth onward. The study addresses, through personal testimony, the initial forms of experiencing television as a mass communication medium in the home and public sphere during the final quarter of the twentieth century; the alternative viewing culture and commercial relationship created by video-cassette technology in coffeehouses; an unusual social response to a Honda motorcycle in a rural setting during the 1980s; and the new forms of content production emerging today through artificial intelligence. These experiences suggest that technological objects are not merely technical instruments. They can also become cultural elements that shape people's perceptions, everyday behaviors, forms of gathering, and relationships with technology. At the same time, because the study is grounded in personal experience, it does not claim statistical generalization. Rather, it seeks to illuminate how technological transformation can appear within individual memory and everyday life.

Is looking at a map sufficient to understand a geography? Political borders, administrative lines, coordinates, and physical barriers demonstrate the material order of space; however, the geography lived by human beings is far broader than this. Humans do not merely observe their surroundings; they name, narrate, remember, contextualize, and reconstruct space through relationships of belonging. For this reason, certain borders remain invisible on conventional maps, yet maintain their existence in language, place names, social memory, narratives, and spatial forms of belonging. In this study, the concept of the "invisible border" is proposed as a conceptual framework outside political or administrative boundaries. Operating through language, place names, social memory, narratives, belonging, and spatial perception, this framework shapes how spaces are differentiated, brought closer together, or given meaning within people's mental geographies. The core assumption of this study is that geography possesses not only a physical surface, but also a linguistic, historical, and mental layer. In this context, the relationship between philology and cultural geography is reexamined. It is argued that place names are not merely tools for orientation or identification, but can also be investigated as linguistic carriers of past experiences, cultural relations, and social memory. The study proposes a sequential process model extending from physical space to naming, linguistic representation, narrative and experience, memory, belonging, mental geography, and ultimately to the invisible border: physical space → naming → linguistic representation → narrative and experience → memory → belonging → mental geography → invisible border. Rather than proposing an alternative border system to replace political boundaries, this model aims to explain the linguistic and mental dimensions of the human-space relationship that extend beyond physical geography.

This study examines the new geopolitical balances emerging as the international system has evolved into an increasingly multipolar and uncertain structure in the post-Cold War era, from a Turkeycentered perspective. Relations among the Turkic World, the Kurdish geography, Iran, Iraq and Syria, the Eastern Mediterranean, Israel, the United States, and the Eurasian powers are analyzed through the dimensions of security, energy, transportation corridors, economic connectivity, and diplomatic balancing. The central thesis of this study is that Turkey’s future strategic weight will be determined not only by its military capabilities or geographical position, but also by the degree to which competing centers of power depend on Turkey. Within this framework, it is argued that rather than aligning itself with a single geopolitical bloc, Turkey should develop its capacity for multidimensional strategic balancing; while deepening its relations with the Turkic World, it should keep channels of cooperation and competition open at different levels with the Middle East, Europe, Russia, China, India, and other regional actors. The study also discusses the possibility that regional crises may trigger one another and examines whether existing conflicts are generating structural conditions that could potentially evolve into a broader global war environment. From this perspective, it is argued that Turkey’s fundamental strategic challenge is not to choose a bloc, but to establish itself as a strategic center of gravity whose role cannot be excluded from the calculations of global and regional actors.

The international system of the twenty-first century is increasingly characterized by a condition of polycrisis in which armed conflicts, climate change, pandemics, forced migration, economic vulnerabilities, energy and food insecurity, digital transformation, and geopolitical competition interact rather than operate as isolated threats. This article examines a structural problem underlying these interconnected crises: the Global Solution Capacity Gap (GSCG). The central argument is that the capacity of the international system to generate, transmit, and amplify problems has expanded faster than its capacity to coordinate and implement collective solutions. As the geographical scope, interdependence, velocity, and complexity of global problems increase, institutional capacities for coordination, resource mobilization, implementation, and accountability do not necessarily expand at the same pace. The article integrates Robert W. Cox’s historical-structural approach, collective action theory, the global public goods literature, Elinor Ostrom’s polycentric governance perspective, scholarship on institutional fragmentation and regime complexity, and the human security approach. The article’s principal contribution is the development of a conceptual framework that defines the Global Solution Capacity Gap as the normalized difference between the demand for global problem-solving and the available solution capacity. It further proposes a five-dimensional Global Solution Capacity Index (GSCI) consisting of institutional coordination, crisis response capacity, implementation and compliance capacity, resource mobilization, and human security outcomes. The framework distinguishes institutional plurality from institutional incapacity. A plurality of institutions does not necessarily undermine governance; the critical issue is whether institutional interactions generate effective collective outcomes. The article therefore proposes that the central governance challenge of the twenty-first century is not simply the multiplication of crises but the widening distance between the systemic demand generated by interconnected global problems and the capacity of international institutions and actors to produce coordinated solutions.

The transformation of the distribution of power in the international system, the intensification of great-power competition, and the growing capabilities of regional actors challenge the assumption that a single actor or a limited group of actors can establish lasting and comprehensive control over the international system. This study examines this problem through the analytical concept of the "illusion of hegemonic power." The concept refers to the assumption that military, economic, or diplomatic superiority can be transformed into sustainable and comprehensive control over the broader international system. The study brings together structural realism and offensive realism with Robert W. Cox's critical-historical approach and the human security perspective. It also argues that proxy wars should not be reduced to instrumental competition among great powers, since local actors retain their own political objectives, organizational capacities, and social bases. Employing a qualitative comparative approach, the study examines Ukraine and Yemen as contrasting cases. Ukraine demonstrates the interaction between full-scale interstate war and external support networks, whereas Yemen reveals the intersection of fragmented state authority, armed nonstate actors, and regional competition. The analysis demonstrates that military superiority alone does not create a lasting political order, that external support does not eliminate the autonomy of local actors, and that the costs of geopolitical competition are frequently concentrated in the sphere of human security.

The Battle of Manzikert in 1071 was a major turning point not only in the struggle between the Byzantine Empire and the Great Seljuk State, but also in the subsequent political and demographic history of Anatolia. However, the contemporary interpretation of Manzikert is often constructed through modern national identities rather than through the political structure of the eleventh century. This study evaluates the Battle of Manzikert outside modern ethnic competition as a comparative historical investigation based on source criticism, examining Byzantine, Arabic, Persian, Armenian, and Syriac historical traditions alongside the Marwanid political context.

Yer adları, yalnızca bir coğrafi konumu tanımlayan dilsel göstergeler değil; toplumun mekânla kurduğu ilişkinin, siyasal otoritenin ve geçmişe dair anlatıların gündelik hayatta görünürlük kazanmasının araçlarıdır. Bu çalışma, Kafkasya’daki toponimik dönüşümleri eleştirel toponimi, sembolik iktidar, söylem ve kolektif hafıza ekseninde incelemektedir. Çalışmanın temel amacı, farklı dönemlerde ortaya çıkan yer adı değişikliklerini tek bir "silme" veya "tahrifat" kategorisine yerleştirmek yerine; dilsel uyarlama, idarî standardizasyon ve siyasal-sembolik yeniden adlandırma arasındaki ayrımları görünür kılmaktır. Çalışmanın özgün katkısı, "epistemik görünmezleştirme" kavramını her ad değişikliğine uygulanabilecek geniş bir etiket olarak değil, belirli koşulların birlikte ortaya çıktığı durumları açıklamak üzere sınırlı bir analitik kategori olarak kullanmasıdır.

Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is universally recognized as the molecular carrier of hereditary information. While the classical framework of molecular biology focuses on biochemical mechanisms, emerging insights suggest that biological macromolecules may interact with their physical environment through non-classical pathways. This study proposes a conceptual theoretical framework exploring the possibility that genomic DNA structures exhibit weak electromagnetic coupling with their surrounding environment. We introduce the Genomic Resonance model and a phenomenological scaling parameter ($\kappa$) to describe the efficiency of such interactions. A computational model is implemented to illustrate resonance-like interaction behavior. This framework provides a conceptual foundation for interdisciplinary exploration at the interface between molecular biology, physics, and bioelectromagnetics

Bu çalışma, Türk tarihsel varlığını belirli bir coğrafi merkez, tekil bir etnik oluşum veyadoğrusal bir devletler silsilesi üzerinden açıklamak yerine, Avrasya'nın farklıbölgelerinde ortaya çıkan siyasal, toplumsal ve kültürel süreçlerin etkileşimibağlamında değerlendirmeyi amaçlamaktadır. Çalışmanın temel yaklaşımı, Türktarihinin uzun dönemli seyrini mobilite, teşkilatlanma, kurumsal adaptasyon ve kültürelsentez kavramları üzerinden incelemektir. Bu çerçevede bozkır toplumlarınınhareketlilik kapasitesi, siyasi konfederasyonların imparatorluk ölçeğinde örgütlenmesi,yerleşik toplumlarla kurulan ilişkiler ve farklı dini-hukuki geleneklerin siyasal yapılaradahil edilmesi temel inceleme alanlarını oluşturmaktadır. Hunlar, Göktürkler, Uygurlar,Karahanlılar, Büyük Selçuklular ve Osmanlılar üzerinden yürütülen değerlendirme,Türk tarihinin yalnızca göç ve fetih olgularıyla açıklanamayacağını; farklı tarihselkoşullara uyum sağlayabilen kurumsal ve kültürel dönüşüm süreçlerinin de bu tarihinsürekliliğinde önemli rol oynadığını ileri sürmektedir. Çalışma, bu nedenle Türk tarihiniAvrasya tarihinin dışında veya yalnızca belirli bir bölgenin tarihi olarak değil, farklısiyasi ve medeniyet havzaları arasındaki etkileşimlerin önemli unsurlarından biri olarakele almaktadır.Anahtar Kelimeler: Türk Tarihi, Avrasya, Tarihsel Mobilite, Bozkır Siyaseti, KurumsalAdaptasyon, Kültürel Sentez, Devlet Geleneği.

Digitalization, platformization, and the proliferation of algorithmic content distribution have fundamentally transformed the processes of news production and consumption. A significant portion of traditional media's editorial gatekeeping function is now shared with visibility mechanisms driven by search engines, social media platforms, recommendation systems, and data-driven algorithms. This transformation should be evaluated not merely as a shift in communication technologies, but as a structural shift directly affecting the epistemological and ontological status of news. Drawing upon Jeremy Bentham's Panopticon design and Michel Foucault's analysis of disciplinary power, this study examines the concept of the "digital panopticon" within the framework of algorithmic surveillance, platformization, and the data economy. The central research problem is to analyze the impact of algorithmic visibility and click-driven economy on the core principles of journalism: accuracy, independence, public interest, transparency, and accountability. In this context, Wardle and Derakhshan's information disorder framework is addressed through the distinctions between misinformation, disinformation, and malinformation. This study conducts a normative analysis based on a qualitative and conceptual literature review. The analysis argues that the core issue in the digital era is not merely the production of "fake news." The conditions under which news becomes visible, circulation criteria, actors shaping the news, and algorithmic mechanisms of prioritization also shape the epistemic character of journalism. Accordingly, the ontological crisis of news is understood through the weakening of the verifiable relationship between news and reality, alongside the transformation of news from public knowledge into a measurable object of digital engagement. The main thesis of this study is that media ethics in the digital era cannot be viewed merely as a set of professional rules regulating individual journalistic conduct. Media ethics must be re-conceptualized as a broader domain of epistemic responsibility encompassing algorithmic transparency, data ethics, platform accountability, verification, editorial independence, and public interest principles. In this context, independent investigative journalism emerges as a crucial public counterweight against the visibility and manipulation mechanisms of the digital panopticon.

Bu çalışma, post-truth (hakikat sonrası) çağında dijital enformasyon bombardımanının dil, anlam ve ontolojik hakikat üzerindeki yıkıcı etkilerini felsefi bir perspektifle incelemektedir. Dijitalleşmenin getirdiği enformasyon bolluğu, hakikati çoğaltmak yerine anlamın aşınmasına ve ontolojik bağlamın kopmasına yol açmaktadır. Çalışmada Heidegger’in teknoloji ve varlık felsefesi, Derrida’nın yapısökümcü dil yaklaşımı, Wittgenstein’ın dil oyunları ve Gadamer’in hermeneutiği çerçevesinde; enformasyonun veriye, anlamın ise gürültüye dönüşme süreci analiz edilmektedir.