Philosophy and Artificial Intelligence (English)
About the Department
Turkey's First
Undergraduate Program in Philosophy and Artificial Intelligence
at Istanbul Medipol University
Istanbul Medipol University's Department of Philosophy and Artificial Intelligence offers a new educational model that keeps in touch with philosophy's age-old questions while attending to the technical details of artificial intelligence, bringing together debates situated at the boundary between philosophy and the sciences.
Our goal is to equip our students with both the fundamental competencies of philosophy and expertise in developing and applying artificial intelligence algorithms, and to train pioneering graduates at the new frontiers of philosophy.
Our aim is to give students the opportunity to focus on philosophy's age-old questions, so that the philosophical knowledge they gain enables them to identify distinctive and original questions and problems at the intersection with engineering, and to approach and analyze these from different perspectives.
Educational Approach
Istanbul Medipol University's Department of Philosophy and Artificial Intelligence adopts an approach that places the methodological rigor of the discipline of philosophy at its center, while also taking into account how the last fifty years of digital developments have affected the field.
Reading philosophy's foundational texts, analyzing concepts, clarifying thought, and building philosophical knowledge upon this foundation are indispensable.
The newly established Department of Philosophy and Artificial Intelligence aims to build the boundary problems that lie between philosophy and the sciences using the opportunities offered by artificial intelligence, and to further strengthen the relationship between them.
Istanbul Medipol University's Department of Philosophy and Artificial Intelligence aims for a dynamic educational approach that envisions developing a perspective that addresses, together and in their mutual interaction, the development of thought throughout human history, the transformation of concepts, and the effort to model human thought using contemporary algorithms.
On the other hand, the rapidly developing digital methods and artificial-intelligence-based systems also carry certain risks in the production of philosophical concepts.
Our department will play an important role in identifying and resolving the aspects of artificial intelligence's current working principles that do not align with the methodology of philosophy.
The aim is to build a foundation that will enable the integration of the nature of thought with digital developments to take place under expert oversight.
Our program aims to train students not merely as users of artificial intelligence tools, but as researchers who grasp the epistemological assumptions, modes of reasoning, and methodological limits behind these technologies.
The core teaching of the Philosophy and Artificial Intelligence program will be conducted at our university in an intertwined, interdisciplinary manner.
With contributions from expert academics in fields such as Philosophy, Engineering, Medicine, Law, Sociology and History, students are expected to receive an education in which they gain the ability to evaluate the age-old questions of thought from different perspectives, and to build meaningful connections between the past, the present and the future through this skill.
Within this framework, the Philosophy and Artificial Intelligence Undergraduate Program aims to offer a distinctive educational model at the international level that integrates the methodology of philosophy with contemporary approaches to artificial intelligence.
Vision
Istanbul Medipol University's
Philosophy and Artificial Intelligence
Vision
As Istanbul Medipol University's Department of Philosophy and Artificial Intelligence, our goal is to train a new generation of philosophers who preserve the classical craft that philosophy has developed and deepened over the centuries, while rethinking it through the possibilities offered by artificial intelligence algorithms; who produce reliable knowledge; who can use artificial intelligence systems with expert rigor and, when necessary, contribute to the design of these systems; and who command the expanding frontiers of thought.
Artificial Intelligence and Philosophy
Do we even need to say our answer? Certainly not.
Since philosophy rests upon the act of thinking, it will never be a capacity that can be encompassed by artificial intelligence independently of the human being.
Philosophy is not merely about discussing certain works or superficial modes of thought and gathering information. Reading sources closely, evaluating the coherence of arguments, engaging in conceptual critique, comparing different modes of thought, developing research questions in relation to age-old problems, and producing persuasive philosophical conclusions from all of this form the essence of the craft of philosophy.
These are processes that require not only technical skill but also intellectual and ethical judgment.
However, none of this means that the role of artificial intelligence in philosophical research is limited. On the contrary, a new era is opening up for philosophy.
Unlike artificial intelligence models made available for general use, reliable AI systems intended for scientific knowledge production will be built not on information found on the internet, but on scientific data architectures constructed by domain experts.
Only philosophers can construct bodies of information whose source value has been determined, whose content has been assessed, which have undergone source criticism, which represent different points of view, and which preserve their context within the history of thought.
General-purpose artificial intelligence systems can produce answers. However, the answers to questions such as which sources carry representative power, how concepts have changed in meaning over time, or which silences carry meaning for thought, lie within the methodology of philosophy.
Incorporating these into artificial intelligence algorithms can only be achieved with the contribution of those who know the craft of philosophy.
If we fail to train philosophers who can critically evaluate artificial intelligence systems and contribute to their design, then, in a manner that is entirely undesirable, machines may begin to do philosophy.
Artificial intelligence offers the social sciences possibilities that were not previously available.
It is now possible to jointly analyze millions of pages of text, prepare concept maps, build knowledge sets, carry out data cleaning, perform classification, construct relationship networks, undertake mapping and visualization, and analyze extremely large data sets.
In this way, philosophers will be able to devote their time less to routine tasks and more to interpretation, comparison, critical thinking and the development of new research questions.
The aim of the Department of Philosophy and Artificial Intelligence is not to replace philosophy with artificial intelligence.
Our goal is to bring the approach of producing the age-old concepts belonging to modes of thought to the center of the age of artificial intelligence.
International Education
100% English-Medium Education and International Experience
The language of instruction in our department is 100% English.
Students who demonstrate an advanced command of academic English in the preparatory year complete their academic education in philosophy through courses conducted entirely in English.
Every student will have the opportunity to attend courses at select universities in the United Kingdom, the United States, or Canada as part of the summer school programs supported by Medipol University.
Study-abroad tuition fees and accommodation expenses are covered by our university.
Classical Language(s) Education and Study-Abroad Language Support Program
Ancient Greek, Latin and Arabic — the languages in which philosophy's foundational texts were written — are of great importance.
Over the course of three years and six semesters, students will take Ancient Greek, Latin and Arabic courses from expert instructors in the field, each lasting at least two semesters.
Students who successfully complete this program will reinforce their language skills by attending an intensive language course delivered by a qualified language provider.
All expenses for this process will be covered by our university.
Double Major and Minor Opportunities
Istanbul Medipol University's Department of Philosophy and Artificial Intelligence offers students the opportunity to broaden their academic interests and gain a multifaceted intellectual formation.
In line with this, successful students can benefit from the double major and minor programs offered by the university.
Students in the program are especially encouraged to pursue a double major with the quantitatively oriented Department of Artificial Intelligence Engineering. The Philosophy and Artificial Intelligence curriculum has been specifically designed to enable a double major with this department.
Students of the Department of Philosophy and Artificial Intelligence have a wide range of options for pursuing a double major, particularly with programs admitted according to the equal-weight score type. Departments available for a double major include the following:
- Law
- Political Science and Public Administration
- Political Science and Public Administration (English)
- Psychology
- Psychology (English)
- International Relations
- Business Administration
- Journalism
- Public Relations and Advertising
- Public Relations and Advertising (English)
- Media and Visual Arts
- New Media and Communication
- Radio, Television and Cinema
- Relevant departments within the Faculty of Fine Arts, Design and Architecture
Double major opportunities are evaluated based on the student's exam score, academic standing, and available quotas.
All programs within Istanbul Medipol University's Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences are also suitable for a minor. In addition, a minor may be pursued in fields selected from other faculties, such as the Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences and the Faculty of Health Sciences, based on the student's exam score, academic standing, and available quotas.
Career Opportunities
Academic Career
Istanbul Medipol University's Department of Philosophy and Artificial Intelligence aims not merely to understand age-old questions, but to train well-equipped individuals capable of shaping the future. This approach offers a wide range of career options after graduation.
Graduates of the Department of Philosophy and Artificial Intelligence can pursue an academic career, taking positions as faculty members or researchers at universities and research institutions.
The skills of reading, analyzing and interpreting core philosophical sources gained during their undergraduate education, together with the familiarity acquired with source languages, give our students the ability to reason about profound issues, construct strong arguments, and resolve problems. These competencies also make our graduates proficient in fields such as academic publishing.
A Wide Range of Career Opportunities
Thanks to the double major and minor opportunities offered by Medipol's Department of Philosophy and Artificial Intelligence, our students can also specialize in secondary fields such as law, psychology, communication, political science and fine arts. As a result, our graduates gain the flexibility to work in different fields such as:
- Public institutions
- Legal and diplomatic services
- Civil society organizations
- Think tanks
- The media sector
- Universities and research institutions
- Artificial intelligence and digital humanities fields
As a result of an interdisciplinary education strengthened with the field of artificial intelligence, philosophy graduates today can also make contributions in the rapidly developing fields of artificial intelligence and digital humanities. Depending on the topic being researched, they may work in areas such as:
- Dataset creation
- Content analysis
- AI-based analytical modeling
- Algorithmic analysis
These are among the next-generation job fields that draw on the competencies of philosophers.
Academic Staff
A Supportive and Selective Academic Environment
Istanbul Medipol University's Department of Philosophy and Artificial Intelligence offers a distinctive and high-quality learning environment through its student selection and academic support policies.
The program has a selective structure in which only candidates with high academic potential and a particular interest in the discipline of philosophy are admitted.
Student quotas are kept far more limited than those of standard philosophy departments, so that every student can receive individual attention and guidance.
All students enrolled in this special program receive full-scholarship education. Scholarships are designed to cover not only tuition fees but also living expenses.
Comprehensive support such as accommodation, book and research support is provided so that students can focus entirely on their academic development.
Medipol's Department of Philosophy and Artificial Intelligence does not merely provide philosophy-centered knowledge to its students; through a multifaceted educational approach, it aims to train them to become critical thinkers with cultural awareness, digital competence and intellectual courage.
Our goal is to prepare a body of highly talented students equipped with these qualities to become the effective philosophers of tomorrow and intellectuals capable of contributing on a global scale.
Academic Staff and Close Interaction
Our students will work in one-on-one, close interaction with academics who not only convey knowledge but also think, question and produce.
Medipol's Department of Philosophy and Artificial Intelligence faculty members hold international recognition in their fields of expertise, and also possess the competency to synthesize philosophy's age-old problems with a contemporary perspective while taking into account the requirements of a global outlook.
Our curriculum is meticulously structured with the aim of sharing this accumulated knowledge directly with students.
Our Faculty
Prof. Dr. Baha Zafer
Founding Head of Department
Prof. Dr. Mehmet Kemal Özdemir
Prof. Dr. Cemil Aydın
Prof. Dr. Hüseyin Yılmaz
Prof. Dr. Lütfü Hanoğlu
Prof. Dr. Ahmet Ulvi Türkbağ
Assistant Professor Eyüp Süzgün
Research Assistant Mehmet Onur Canpolat
Academic Advisory Board
Scholarships and More
Scholarships
Istanbul Medipol University's Department of Philosophy and Artificial Intelligence offers comprehensive scholarship opportunities to support high-achieving students and encourage academic success. These opportunities are intended to help our students have a rewarding university experience, both academically and socially. All students placed in the Department of Philosophy and Artificial Intelligence will study on a 100% full scholarship. Outstanding Achievement Scholarships will be granted to students who achieve top rankings in the university entrance exams.
For Students Ranking in the Top 2,000 in the Equally-Weighted (EA) Score Type
- Monthly education scholarship of 50,000 TL
- Education scholarship paid over 7 months per year
- English language education abroad
- Dormitory scholarship
- Meal scholarship
- Within the scope of a program aimed at supporting the development of internationally qualified researchers, the total annual funding for students admitted to a paid doctoral program in the basic sciences at a university ranked in the top 50 of the Times Higher Education World University Rankings will be completed up to a maximum of 40,000 US dollars per year, for up to 3+1 years.
- Coverage of tuition fees by the university is carried out within the scope of the Istanbul Medipol University Aziz Sancar Doctoral Scholarship Directive.
- Candidates admitted to the paid quotas of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences' Philosophy and Artificial Intelligence (English) program who jointly meet the conditions for both the Preference Discount and the Success Support Scholarship receive a 100% Outstanding Achievement Scholarship.