Abstracts

Mulla Sadra and Two Principles of Presupposition and Affirmation of the Subsistent

 Roohallah Daraei^[1] and Tuba Kermani^[2]

A study of the principles dominating philosophical systems reveal some new aspects of philosophers' ideas. In this paper, by examining the principle of "the affirmation of an object for another object is presupposed for the affirmation of the subsistent", which is known as the principle of affirmation, its consequences and its necessary interrelation with the principle of presupposition are explored. Since some authorities do not agree with the union of these two principles, while studying them, the various dimensions of their interaction are also analyzed. Some thinkers believe that they are concomitant with each other, while some others maintain that there is contrariety between them wherein the whatness and existence of each principle depends on those of the other. There are also two interpretations of the principle of presupposition which are, to some extent, rooted in accepting or rejecting the principle of the affirmation of the subsistent. Some Islamic philosophers also believe that accepting the principles of the affirmation of the subsistent and mutual copulative existence between them is one of Mulla Sadra's innovations. They maintain that, in this way, he has put an end to the old argument of philosophers concerning the quality of the realization of secondary intelligibles and created a union between Platonists and the Peripatetics.

Key Terms

principles of the affirmation of the subsistent

principle of presupposition

subject

predicate

simple whetherness

relation

mutual copulative existence

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A Study of 'Allamah Tabataba'i's Argument on Referring the Theory of "Gradation of Existence" to the Theory of the "Individual Unity of Existence"

Hossein Kalbasi Ashtari^[3] and Mehdi Sa'atchi^[4]

The theory of the individual unity of being is the basis of gnostic ontology. Therefore, a number of gnostic researchers have tried to demonstrate this theory in order to defend and explain their standpoint in this regard. The contemporary philosopher and gnostic, 'Allamah Tabataba'i, has also adduced some arguments in his works in order to prove this claim. In one of these arguments, through analyzing the argument of muta'allih philosophers concerning the congruent unity of being and its gradedness, he has demonstrated gnostics claim as to the individual unity of existence. This is an innovative and noteworthy argument regarding its way of reasoning, its dealing with the peripheral issues and different consequences of the problem and, particularly, its role in clarifying the relationship between the theories of gnostics and philosophers. After referring to each of these theories, the writers explain and analyze the above argument in this paper and examine some of its consequences.

Key Terms

unity of being

gradation of existence

individual unity

congruent unity

status

manifestation

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A Comparative Analysis of the Views of Farabi and Ibn Arabi concerning the Place of Ethics and Gnosis in their Utopia

Fereshteh Nadry Abyaneh^[5] and Mahdiyeh Sadat Mostaqimi^[6]

In this paper, by examining the ethical-gnostic identity of utopia in the views of Farabi (as the founder of Islamic philosophy) and Ibn Arabi (as the founder of Islamic gnosis), the writers portray the three main pillars of this state, namely, leadership, distinctive feature, and the purpose behind its establishment based on the fundamental concepts of perfection, justice, and ultimate happiness. They also demonstrate that these concepts are realized in their most sublime form in the Mahdawi Medina. From among the other problems discussed in this research, we can refer to the emphasis on the place of the intellect and knowledge in this regard as well as the instances of non-utopian cities in the eyes of these two thinkers.

A comparative analysis of the ideas of Farabi and Ibn Arabi indicates that, in spite of their similar views concerning the main pillars of utopia, the basic principles of their gnostic and philosophical ideas and thoughts in this respect are different. From among these differences we can refer to the place of the problem of utopia, the foundations of the development of this idea, the language used to present it, determining its referent and expressing the level of its transcendence, and the quality of believing in the necessity of the objective realization of utopia.

Key Terms

Farabi's utopia

Ibn Arabi's utopia

Mahdawi ideal city

ethics

gnosis

perfection

justice

happiness

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Peace and Happiness in Mulla Sadra's Political Philosophy

Mohammad Meshkat^*

This article follows two purposes or main targets: the first is the mutual relationship between peace and happiness, and the second is the endless interaction and opposition between them. Obviously, instead of a descriptive approach, the writer follows an analytic or descriptive-analytic method in exploring the main point of the paper. The innovativeness of the writer here lies in his discovering the developmental mutual relationship between peace and happiness within the lines of Mulla Sadra's works and explaining it accordingly. This relationship is analyzed based on various principles in his philosophy. According to the different angles of Mulla Sadra's anthropology, peace is the necessary condition for worldly and otherworldly happiness. At the same time, happiness is the necessary condition for consolidating peace. The Sadrian ontology and cosmology are the bases of the writer's analyses regarding the above-mentioned mutual relationship. Here, he explicates how the Sadrian Society, while enjoying plurality, can be profoundly monistic, as well. An analysis of the relationship between peace and happiness based on this philosopher's religious ideas illustrates how severely peace is endangered in the modern world. The structure of the government and its functions unveil this mutual relationship in a different sense, in the same way that Mulla Sadra's ethical ideas reveal the exact relationship among peace, security, and moral happiness.

Key Terms

happiness

peace

state

caliphate

religion

law

ethics

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Problem of Correspondence in Mulla Sadra's Ontological Epistemology

Shahnaz Shayanfar^**

The correspondence theory of truth is one of the most ancient and important theories concerning the knowledge of truth. Muslim philosophers share the same interpretation of the above theory and consider it as the correspondence of the subject and object, which is a purely quiddative kind of correspondence. In line with early philosophers, Mulla Sadra speaks of the quiddative unity of the subject and object in relation to the discussion of mental existence and the other issues related to knowledge. The present paper intends to provide an answer to the question of how we can speak about the ontological correspondence of the subject and object in Mulla Sadra's philosophy based on its internal capabilities. Here, through explaining some of the exclusive features and principles of his philosophy, such as his ontological view of knowledge, the distinction between knowledge and mental form, the graded unity of existence, man's previous beings and, following it, the presential perception of phenomena the writer has tried to explicate the ontological correspondence of the subject and object. The results of the conducted research indicate that quiddative correspondence comes after ontological correspondence. In other words, if we agree with quiddative correspondence, we should initially and necessarily agree with ontological correspondence as a basis for the former.

Key Terms

quiddative correspondence

ontological correspondence

graded unity of existence

mental existence

Mulla Sadra

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Spirit of the Theory of Reminiscence in Mulla Sadra's View of Intellection

Ali Asghar J'afari Valani^[7] and Zeynab Mohammadnejad^[8]

In his explanation of perception, especially intellectual perception, based on his own philosophical principles, such as the principality and gradation of existence, commensurability of existence with knowledge and the trans-substantial motion, Mulla Sadra follows an approach different from that of his predecessors. On the other hand, he considers Plato's theory of the pre-eternity of the soul in line with his own view of the corporeal origination of the soul based on its creation in the world of separate beings. The reason is that this creation in the world of separate beings and immaterial intellects is not in a particular and imperfect form. Rather, in the arc of descent, the soul enjoys corporeal origination along with the body's trans-substantial motion and returns to the world of intellects in the arc of ascent. This ontological process is the same as an epistemological one. Accordingly, the soul observes the world of intellect through intellectual perception; the same world in which it enjoyed a rational existence at the beginning of the arc of descent.

Given the intertwinement of ontology and epistemology in Mulla Sadra's philosophy, as the development of the human soul in the worlds of existence is followed by its ontological development, moving from each world to the next one is followed by the perfection of perception, from the sense and imaginal perception to the intellectual one. Regarding intellectual perceptions, unlike sense and imaginal perceptions, Mulla Sadra believes in the flow of intellectual concepts from immaterial intellects into the soul and the soul's contemplating them from a distance. Therefore, although Mulla Sadra does not agree with Plato's theory of reminiscence, his particular view of intellectual perception can be a kind of reminiscence and recollection. However, given the differences between the philosophical principles of Plato and Mulla Sadra, we cannot consider them to be completely compatible with each other.

Key Terms

Mulla Sadra

Plato

pre-eternity of the soul

reminiscence

intellection

contemplation from a distance
 

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Manifestation of Sadrian Philosophy in Islamic Architecture

Behrooz 'Avazpoor^[9], Bahman Namvar Motlagh^[10] and Saina Mohammadi Khabazan^[11]

Mulla Sadra's philosophical thoughts profoundly influenced the development of art, in general, and the architecture of his time, in particular. Therefore, it seems necessary to carefully examine and discuss his ideas and theories in this regard in order to have a better and more accurate understanding of the art and architecture of that period. Since the concept of imagination plays a basic role in the definition of Islamic art from the point of view of Mulla Sadra and other Islamic philosophers and gnostics, in this paper the writers firstly deal with a part of his philosophy that explains this concept. Following this, they will refer to the role and place of imagination in art works in their general sense and explore the actualization of such works in the field of architecture, particularly, those of the Safavid era. Imagination plays such a central role in this discussion that one can define Islamic art in its general sense as the manifestation of an intelligible matter in a sensible one through active imagination.

Key Terms

Mulla Sadra

Islamic art

imagination

artistic act

architecture