Principles of understandings of consciousness in Islamic and western thought in the context of its impact on the belief system(Example of Abu'l-muîn An–nasafî ve reńe Descartes)

This thesis aims to reveal the similar or different aspects in the narratives of consciousness, based on the understanding of consciousness of two philosophers, one from the Islamic tradition and the other from Western culture. The concept of consciousness is of great importance in terms of being the basis of many functions such as separating human beings from other beings, having knowledge, using his will and being the addressee of the proposal. Therefore, it takes its place among the subjects of theology and philosophy. In this study, we examined the concept of "consciousness" in the thought of Abu'l Muîn an-Nasafî, one of the leading figures of the tradition of Islamic thought. In addition, we discussed the view of René Descartes, one of the important philosopher of the 17th century, on the concept of "consciousness" in his systematic philosophy. Finally, we tried to make a comparison on the "consciousness" understanding of these two philosopher. While Nasafî accepts the consciousness as a source of knowledge, he defines it with the ability to distinguish between what is beneficial and what is harmful. With this definition of consciousness, it is seen that Nasafi exhibited an attitude that adhered to the Maturidi-Hanafi tradition in Islamic culture. In Western culture, in the historical process, consciousness has been positioned at two extreme poles between religion and science. Here we come across the rationalist current, which rejects religion and approaches man from a rational point of view and movement of faith by religious institutions and authorities that ignores consciousness. It can be said that Descartes entered into a compromise between these two extreme poles and tried to bring these two poles closer to each other. Key Words: Kālam, Nasafi, Descartes, Consciousness, Thinking