Spektrum Iran

Abstrakt Political metaphors are not merely rhetorical embellishments but cognitive instruments that shape perception, structure judgment, and guide collective action. This article offers a philosophical examination of the epistemic, ethical, and socio-political implications of medical–political metaphors in political discourse. Drawing upon Conceptual Metaphor Theory, Critical Discourse Analysis, discourse ethics, and theories of epistemic injustice, the study argues that medicalized political language functions not simply as a descriptive device but as a mechanism that reorganizes political understanding through biologically derived schemas. The analysis proceeds in three stages. First, it reconstructs the conceptual architecture of five recurrent medical–political metaphors, demonstrating how political actors, institutions, and conflicts are mapped onto medical categories such as pathology, infection, surgery, and cancer. Second, it examines the epistemic consequences of these mappings, arguing that they simplify complex political phenomena, generate category mistakes, obscure agency and structural causality, narrow interpretive possibilities, encourage affective shortcuts in reasoning, and transfer the authority of scientific discourse into domains characterized by normative disagreement and political contingency. Third, it investigates their ethical and political consequences, showing how such metaphors can facilitate dehumanization, undermine mutual recognition, contribute to epistemic injustice, legitimize exclusionary practices, and normalize antagonistic identities and exceptional forms of governance. The article concludes that medical–political metaphors are not neutral instruments of political communication. By transforming political disagreement into pathology, they alter the epistemic and moral conditions underlying democratic judgment, public deliberation, and political pluralism. A critical examination of these metaphors is therefore indispensable for understanding the relationship between language, power, and democratic life.

Abstrakt Iranian architecture has historically evolved in close association with spirituality, a relationship reflected not only in its spatial and physical organization but also in its philosophical and theoretical foundations. Drawing upon Mulla Sadra’s Transcendent Philosophy and the Fourfold Model of Cognition, this study investigates the spiritual dimensions of Iranian architecture. Employing a qualitative logical–interpretive approach, the research is based on Islamic-Iranian philosophical sources and selected examples of traditional Iranian architecture. The theoretical framework is grounded in Mulla Sadra’s Transcendent Philosophy (al-Hikma al-Mutaʿāliyah), which is founded upon the principles of the Primacy of Existence, the Gradation of Existence, and Substantial Motion. From this perspective, architecture is understood not merely as a physical artifact but as an existential phenomenon capable of expressing philosophical principles. The Fourfold Model of Cognition, rooted in Iranian philosophical thought and the distinction between the apparent (ẓāhir) and the hidden (bāṭin), provides an analytical framework for exploring the relationship between architecture and wisdom. This model consists of four interconnected levels: concepts (meanings), foundations (principles), patterns (design frameworks and methods), and exemplars (cases and applications), through which the movement between meaning and matter, and between the hidden and the apparent, is examined. Based on theoretical analysis and observations of the Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque, the findings indicate that Iranian architecture, through the principles of Transcendent Philosophy, transcends aesthetic and functional dimensions to create a mystical and ontological experience of space. The study concludes that Mulla Sadra’s philosophical foundations can provide a theoretical basis for revitalizing the spiritual dimensions of contemporary architecture, while the Fourfold Model of Cognition offers a methodological framework for interpreting and designing architectural spaces from a spiritual perspective.

Abstrakt This paper examines the role of Swedish engineering firms in Iran’s architectural modernization during the First Pahlavi era, foregrounding infrastructure as a critical yet underexplored instrument of state formation, national integration, and geopolitical self-assertion. While the contributions of prominent European engineering firms to Pahlavi modernization have long been recognized, the role of Scandinavian companies has received little scholarly attention. Addressing this lacuna, the study investigates the technical, conceptual, and cultural dimensions of Swedish engagement in Iran, with particular reference to the Ahvaz White Bridge and the Ghazian–Mian Poshteh Bridge. Adopting a descriptive–analytical methodology and drawing on archival materials, historical documentation, architectural records, and field investigations, the research traces how Scandinavians facilitated the transfer of modernist ideas, reconfigured spatial orders, and reshaped Iran’s building culture. The findings suggest that Swedish firms performed a role far exceeding that of contractors or technical service providers. Their projects introduced advanced materials, including reinforced concrete and steel, together with movable bridge technologies previously unknown in Iran, while simultaneously embodying the broader discourse of Pahlavi modernisation. These structures emerged not only as feats of engineering, but also as visible symbols of state authority and of Iran’s aspiration to reposition itself within global modernity. Their deliberate siting in strategically sensitive regions further underscores their geopolitical significance and their function as instruments of territorial integration. Beyond their technical contribution, Swedish companies acted as cultural agents and conduits for international architectural models, participating in a form of “architectural diplomacy” that facilitated the social reception of new architectural vocabularies, and thereby helped legitimise modernist aesthetics. By bringing these issues into focus, this study contributes to scholarship on transnational architectural history, technology transfer, and the geopolitics of infrastructure. It demonstrates how peripheral European actors shaped non-Western trajectories of modernisation and how the built environment was instrumentalised in state-building projects.

Abstrakt The expansion of social media, particularly Instagram, has played a significant role in transforming the ways cultural rituals are experienced and represented in contemporary Iran. This study aims to elucidate the role of Instagram in the transformation of traditional rituals and to examine the impact of this platform’s media logic on the form, meaning, and modes of enactment of cultural occasions. The study was conducted using a qualitative approach, and its data were collected through semi-structured interviews with active Instagram users who participated in this research. Purposive sampling was employed, and data collection continued until theoretical saturation was reached, which was ultimately achieved after 15 interviews. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis based on the Braun and Clarke approach. The findings indicate that Instagram, as an active cultural intermediary, has contributed to the mediatization of rituals, the aestheticization of ceremonial practices, shifts in patterns of social participation, the individualization of ritual experience, transformations in symbolic meanings, and the strengthening of influencers’ roles in redefining the ways rituals are performed. The results suggest that traditional rituals have moved beyond exclusively place-bound and collective frameworks and, within the context of the network society, have been transformed into visual, performative, and to some extent individualized experiences. In this process, rituals are not merely represented but are also reconfigured through interaction with Instagram’s image-driven logic. Based on the findings, a form of “digital rituality” has emerged within the context of contemporary Iranian culture, in which traditional elements have become intertwined with new media mechanisms. This study demonstrates that understanding cultural transformations and the redefinition of identity in contemporary Iranian society is not possible without considering the role of digital platforms.

Abstrakt Large language models increasingly translate, summarize, and explain traditions they have not inherited. This study develops semantic sovereignty as a framework for testing whether multilingual models preserve Persianate and Shi‘i meanings or relocate them into dominant Anglophone interpretive regimes. A bounded cross-lingual mixed-method audit examined 120 purposively selected units from Rumi, Hafez, Ferdowsi, and Shi‘i hermeneutics. Four model systems, blinded during expert scoring, were tested under Persian-only, English-only, cultural-context, and expert-context conditions, with two runs per prompt, yielding 3,840 outputs. A three-member disciplinary panel applied a 0–4 Semantic Preservation Scale and a multi-label error taxonomy; mutually exclusive percentages summarize each output’s adjudicated dominant error. Across 16 model-by-domain cells, the mean score was 2.53/4.00 (SD = 0.38). Rumi was frequently psychologized into global spirituality, Hafez was over-clarified, Ferdowsi was depoliticized into leadership language, and Shi‘i concepts were flattened into generic religious vocabulary. Expert-context prompts produced the strongest descriptive means, but displacement persisted. Because product identities, exact access dates, complete raw transcripts, and output-level scores were not retained, the analysis is descriptive and bounded rather than inferential or product-reproducible. Multilingual AI should therefore be evaluated not only for linguistic performance or cultural bias, but for hermeneutic accountability: preserving metaphor, doctrine, ambiguity, register, authority, and civilizational memory. The study contributes a culturally grounded audit framework for identifying subtle semantic loss across languages.

Abstrakt Human dignity is a foundational principle of Islamic thought and provides a normative framework for humanitarian principles during armed conflicts. Although international humanitarian law has received extensive scholarly attention, the relationship between human dignity and humanitarian norms within the Islamic intellectual tradition has not yet been systematically examined. This study investigates the conceptual foundations of human dignity, identifies the principal humanitarian norms found in Islamic sources, and analyzes the relationship between these two domains. Employing qualitative content analysis and historical analysis, the study draws upon the Qur'an, Prophetic Sunnah, Nahj al-Balāghah, and authenticated historical sources to examine both the normative and historical dimensions of humanitarian conduct. The concepts and analytical categories were inductively derived from these texts and used to explain broader conceptual relationships. The findings demonstrate that human dignity in Islam is an inherent and universal attribute shared by all human beings, regardless of religion, ethnicity, or political affiliation. This conception serves as the normative foundation for humanitarian principles governing armed conflicts. Accordingly, prioritizing peaceful settlement, refraining from initiating hostilities, protecting civilians, respecting the wounded, prisoners of war, and those hors de combat, prohibiting treachery and mutilation, and maintaining negotiations throughout hostilities are not merely ethical recommendations but practical manifestations of human dignity. The study further argues that these principles apply equally to domestic and international armed conflicts and are not limited to relations among Muslims. It concludes that human dignity functions as the philosophical and normative foundation of humanitarian law in Islam and provides a valuable basis for constructive dialogue with contemporary international humanitarian law.

Abstrakt Migration is not merely geographical relocation but a multi-layered process of redefining identity and rebuilding social relations. This theoretical article examines the sociological tendency toward intense cultural assimilation in parts of the Iranian diaspora. The objective is to move beyond reductionist and normative explanations and present a multi-level explanatory model for understanding this phenomenon. This research is a theoretical article (Conceptual Paper) organized through a systematic literature review and conceptual analysis. Classical and contemporary works related to the sociology of migration, diaspora studies, theories of cultural adaptation, status theory, symbolic capital, and media were critically examined. Key concepts were extracted and organized within three analytical levels: pre-migration contextual factors, post-migration mediating mechanisms, and status and identity consequences. The findings demonstrate that intense cultural assimilation cannot be reduced merely to cultural self-loss or individual preferences. Instead, it results from the interaction of historical, cultural, media, and status-related factors. Pre-migration cultural deposits, transnational media representations, structural ruptures, status pressures in the host society, and the effort to accumulate symbolic capital in transnational social fields interact within a causal-interactive structure. This pattern represents one of several possible cultural adaptation strategies among the Iranian diaspora. Intense cultural assimilation is not a sign of absolute passivity or lack of agency but rather a positionally rational strategy for gaining positive distinction and accumulating symbolic capital in transnational social fields. Alongside this pattern, hybrid, multi-layered, and transnational identities are also observable among different sections of the Iranian diaspora. Understanding this phenomenon requires simultaneous attention to social structures, lived experiences, and the status calculations of social actors.

Abstrakt This study examines the influence of the Persian philosopher Avicenna (Ibn Sīnā) on the metaphysical thought of Meister Eckhart, particularly his doctrine of being. From the 11th century onward, numerous Arabic philosophical works were translated into Latin in Western Europe, leading to a profound transformation of medieval scholastic philosophy. Avicenna’s works, especially his Metaphysics (Kitāb al-Šifāʾ), were translated in the 12th century in Toledo and later received extensive attention from major medieval thinkers such as Albertus Magnus, Thomas Aquinas, and Meister Eckhart. The paper focuses on Eckhart’s concept of being (esse) and demonstrates that his metaphysical framework is deeply shaped by Avicenna’s distinction between necessary being (wājib al-wujūd) and contingent beings. Eckhart’s central thesis “esse est Deus” (being is God) reflects a radical identification of absolute being with the divine essence. This position is closely connected to Avicenna’s idea that all things desire being and that being itself is pure perfection and goodness. Particular attention is given to Eckhart’s interpretation of the biblical name of God, “I am who I am” (Exodus 3:14), which he reads through a metaphysical lens influenced by Avicenna’s ontology. The analysis shows that Eckhart adopts and transforms Avicenna’s concepts of existence, essence, and necessary being to construct a speculative theology in which God is understood as pure, absolute, and self-subsistent being. The study concludes that Eckhart’s reception of Avicenna is not theological borrowing of Islamic doctrine but a philosophical appropriation of metaphysical concepts. This reception demonstrates how Islamic philosophy contributed fundamentally to the development of medieval European metaphysics, particularly through the mediation of Latin scholasticism.

Abstrakt The convergence of AI and IoT is redefining cultural norms and collective identity at an unprecedented pace. In Iran, this transformation carries deeper complexity due to its ancient civilization, rich heritage rooted in Iranian-Islamic values, and collectivist social structure. This study investigates how intelligent algorithms and connected objects are reshaping communicative cultural norms and identity among Iranians, and projects plausible future trajectories. Employing a qualitative futures studies methodology, we conducted environmental scanning to extract and analyze cultural biases embedded in algorithms of three major domestic platforms—Snapp, Divar, and Rubika. We applied Causal Layered Analysis and the Critical Uncertainty Matrix to develop scenarios for the 2041 horizon. Three distinct scenarios emerged: (1) "Silent Assimilation"—accelerated algorithmic redefinition of norms without societal resistance; (2) "Indigenous Resilience"—development of algorithms aligned with Iranian-Islamic ethics and local priorities; and (3) "Schizoid Ambivalence"—dual existence within conflicting value systems, generating profound identity crisis. Current evidence indicates Iranian society is trending toward the third scenario. Algorithms are never neutral; they participate as non-human cultural agents in redefining identities through visibility, behavioral prediction, and normalization of biases. Iranian users are not passive; they employ circumvention, hidden resistance, creative reinterpretation, and selective rejection. The prevalence of the "ambivalent actor" identity type (40% of the sample) serves as a serious warning. The findings underscore a critical transition from content-centric to intelligent algorithmic governance. We propose strategic investment in indigenous ethical AI and promotion of critical algorithmic literacy as key policy strategies.

Abstrakt When the Pahlavi regime launched its land reform program in 1962 as the centerpiece of the White Revolution, the official narrative promised a transformation of Iranian society through equitable land distribution, social justice, increased agricultural productivity, and improved living conditions for rural communities. Decades later, however, the outcomes present a different picture. This article examines how and why the reforms diverged from their original objectives and became increasingly resistant to change. Using path dependency as an analytical framework, the study draws on archival records, government reports, and scholarly literature to trace the mechanisms that placed agricultural policy on a trajectory from which it could not easily deviate. The findings indicate that, despite the developmental rhetoric surrounding the reforms, they were never fully implemented as intended. Political considerations shaped the process from the outset, while rising oil revenues, ineffective policies, and the growing influence of interest groups with a stake in maintaining the status quo reinforced the established trajectory over time. The 1979 Revolution, the Iran–Iraq War, and prolonged economic sanctions further reinforced this path, making fundamental changes to agricultural policy increasingly costly and politically difficult. What began as a transformative political choice, shaped by both Cold War geopolitics and domestic political objectives, gradually became an institutional constraint on subsequent policy change. The resulting outcomes diverged substantially from the original development objectives. By illuminating this process, the article contributes to an understanding of the political economy of reform in resource-dependent states and provides an analytical framework that may be applicable to the study of other institutional trajectories in modern Iran.

Abstrakt Karin Knorr Cetina developed the concept of "postsocial relations" to explain the increasing importance of epistemic objects in the organization of knowledge, expertise, and social interaction within late modern scientific and technological contexts. While this theoretical approach has primarily been applied to contemporary developments, its historical scope remains largely unexplored. The present article investigates whether medieval Persian medicine can be understood as a historically specific form of object-centered epistemic relations that is analytically comparable to the relational dynamics described by postsocial theory. The focus is on Persian medicine between the ninth and fifteenth centuries, examining manuscripts, hospitals, pharmaceutical substances, medical instruments, and pedagogical practices as material components of an epistemic culture. Methodologically, the study is based on a historical-conceptual analysis within the framework of Science and Technology Studies (STS), drawing on research concerning Islamic medicine and material knowledge cultures. The findings indicate that these material entities functioned as dynamic and open-ended centers of epistemic engagement, structuring learning, clinical practice, and scholarly communities in ways that exhibit important structural similarities to the characteristics Knorr Cetina associates with epistemic objects. Rather than arguing that medieval Persian medicine constituted a postsocial society in the strict historical sense, the article proposes that it developed historically specific configurations of object-centered epistemic relations. By doing so, the study extends the temporal and geographical horizon of postsocial theory, contributes to the globalization of STS, and demonstrates how non-Western knowledge cultures can serve as sources of theoretical refinement.

Abstrakt The emergence of artificial intelligence as a semi-autonomous agent has challenged the classical paradigms of knowledge production in the humanities. This study aims to address how the legal and ethical components of responsibility for works produced with AI participation are redefined within the frameworks of Imami jurisprudence and the German legal system. This research employed a comparative-analytical approach and qualitative methodology. Data were collected through the study of authoritative jurisprudential sources, German codified laws, and scholarly articles, and analyzed using inductive reasoning. The findings reveal that the shift from a purely instrumental paradigm to one recognizing AI's relative agency has intensified three structural crises: the crisis of attribution (ambiguity regarding authorship and ownership); the crisis of originality (erosion of human creativity and scientific credibility); and the crisis of accountability (conflict in determining final responsibility). The research proposes the Proportional Responsibility model as an interdisciplinary solution, distributing responsibility among the researcher, developer, and academic institutions. By integrating foundational jurisprudential principles from Imami jurisprudence (la darar, daman, tasbib) with the advanced doctrines of German civil liability (particularly § 280 BGB and producer liability principles), the model establishes a coherent framework designed to preserve scientific integrity in humanities research in the age of artificial intelligence.