Batoul Fallah Barzoki; Reza Rouhani
Abstract
The science of method or methodology analysis is used in different meanings and purposes and in different sciences by researchers. Methodology can be examined at several levels. First, methodology realizes the way of delivering and presenting the content. Second, it includes techniques and types of research ...
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The science of method or methodology analysis is used in different meanings and purposes and in different sciences by researchers. Methodology can be examined at several levels. First, methodology realizes the way of delivering and presenting the content. Second, it includes techniques and types of research methods. Third, it comprises paradigms and selection among rival paradigms in the context of research questions. The issue more intended in this article is the meaning of methodology, that is, the presentation of Qushayrī's method (way, approach, attitude), and description, classification, and analysis of his methods in collection, analysis and defense of data and claims in the book al-Risālat al-Qushayrīat. Methods The research approach of this thesis is descriptive-analytic by which writers have tried to analyze and describe Qushayrī's general approaches in order to write this thesis by this method. Discussion Background To the authors’ knowledge, in such an issue as methodology, al-Risālat al-Qushayrīat is not regulated with a particular book. The available book and relatively coherent research book in al-Risālat al-Qushayrīat is consensually confidant, in which the writer has introduced different aspects of the book. In the field of stylistic texts of Sufism, Mohammad Gholamrezayi writes the style of Sufi prose, which is a good work in the field of mystical works and addresses the general issues of stylistic Persian prose from the fifth century to the end of the seventh century, and also some of the first works of the eighth century. Results and discussion Al-Risālat al-Qushayrīat, by the composer Abdulkarīm ībn Hawāzan Qushayrī, a famous writer and commentator of fifth A.H century, is a martingale piece in the Sufism aspect of Khurāsān, which intrinsically is a key and reference piece in basics and bases, instructions, formalities, and also elder's recital and sayings of Sufism men. In this thesis, the piece is known in terms of macro and general approaches and attitudes in the way of collection, receiving facts, analysis and assessment, and defense of information and data introduce original titles, collection methods, approaches, compilation resources, and goals in the book Al-Risālat al-Qushayrīat. The purpose of compilation of this thesis to determine the elements, classification, and analysis method of Qushayrī's approaches and attitudes in advertisement and defense of Sufism, resources of Qushayrī, and the utilization methods. This study demonstrates that the thesis is a descriptive and issue-oriented research, and that Qushayrī wrote it to instruct, satisfy, and acquit himself and Sufis of criticizers’ accusations. In addition, the aspect of argument based on power is also featured in the treatise. The author used speech advocates’ methods and approaches, Hadith advocate's approaches, mystical approaches, and even jurisprudence approaches in writing and compiling the piece to attain his instructive-mystical goals. Qushayrī has used different resources such as Qurʾān, Ḥadīth, religious books of other religions, usual stories among people, teaching sessions, and professors and Sufism elders, as well as the books written about Sufism before him as a further reason, witness, and proof of himself in writing the Risāla;. In general, the use of the pathological and intuitive way, and the inner methods, the basis of the law, the tendency towards asceticism and ethics, the tendency to practicalism, based on the religious and religious reasons, the use of verbal and philosophical reasoning methods as the propagation of Sufism and its defense, addressing the issues of Samāʿ and Kirāmat, the tendency towards the elements of Sufism in Khurāsan, and the semantic approach to the verses are all the characteristics of the work of Qushayrī in the treatise. Qushayrī's general goals in writing the thesis are more defensive and instructive, illuminating the tie between religion, lifestyle, and acquittal of Sufis of accusations. He further provides the beliefs of this tribe to party line, and also instruction origins, basics, formalities, and Sufism advocate's terminologies to the contacts by the wayfarers, followers, and the public. Personal, mental, religious, believing, social, political reasons, and elements can be among the most important elements in writing and compiling the book. Conclusion Qushayrī in his issue-oriented and descriptive piece (Al-Risālat al-Qushayrīat) uses historical and reportal methods, and descriptive and logical (based on loyalty) method as an analysis and assessment of information (and defense of claims). He has used different approaches including speech advocate's approaches, tellers of Ḥadīth, juris consults and Gnostics to attain his instructive, satisfying, and educative goals. Qushayrī's resources in the thesis are various considering method, content, instructive, religious, and mystical goals; he also uses more Qurʾān, Ḥadīth and also elder's sayings of Sufism. The way he encounters the others’ vote is more descriptive and reportal. In general, in the restatement of Al-Risālat al-Qushayrīat, the educational aspect is more tangible than the educational one, and the features of this work derive from the former aspect.
Aliraza Kohansal
Volume 1, Issue 1 , September 2010, , Pages 101-118
Abstract
Contingency is one the key concepts in Islamic Philosophy, and inquiring in it, how much it be, developes the philosophical knowledge. Considering this point, in this article we intend to investigate in one of the important debates on Contingency, which has been neglected in all the previous studies. ...
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Contingency is one the key concepts in Islamic Philosophy, and inquiring in it, how much it be, developes the philosophical knowledge. Considering this point, in this article we intend to investigate in one of the important debates on Contingency, which has been neglected in all the previous studies. Our problem is “the equivocality or univocality of Contingency”. If we say that the previous thinkers have not dealt with this problem, we mean that they have not investigated in the implications and consequences of the problem, and have limited themselves in saying that the Contingency is equivocal. In this article, the Univocality of Contingency has been proved. There are many reasons for this; the correctness of the division of Contingency, the unity of the meaning of its contradictory, and the inducibility of Contingencies are among the reasons for the Univocality of Contingency. At the end, it has been proved by two accurate analyses that the Contingency, what kind it be, belongs to the Existence.
Najibullah Shafagh; Mohammad Fanaei Eshkevari
Volume 4, Issue 2 , October 2013, , Pages 101-123
Abstract
The aim of this article is to explain possibility of Islamic Philosophy and describe its main characteristics and schools. Concerning the question of possibility and actuality of Islamic Philosophy, our approach in the article is that the question has a historical nature. So, to answer questions like ...
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The aim of this article is to explain possibility of Islamic Philosophy and describe its main characteristics and schools. Concerning the question of possibility and actuality of Islamic Philosophy, our approach in the article is that the question has a historical nature. So, to answer questions like ‘is Islamic Philosophy possible?’ And if yes: ‘has it ever been actualized?’ should consider philosophy, in this historical development, as a progressive discipline which from its entrance into the Islamic world has been continuously changed. In the development process of this philosophy, a variety of perspectives, theories, issues, and problems have arisen, some of them have been placed in the core of the philosophical mainstream, and some of them have been laid aside or ignored. So, in this process, this discipline has experienced some philosophical expansions and contractions, has taken some theories, problems, issues …, and has laid away some other.
These changes and developments bring about a distinguished nature for Islamic philosophy. We can say that this discipline has three general and distinct characteristics: looking comprehensiveness (looking at physical and metaphysical worlds comprehensively); certainty (as a common core of knowledge); and God- oriented (regarding God as most importance being in the human life). In this paper, first of all, we will describe the main characteristics of main Islamic philosophy’s schools, Peripatetic, Illumination, and transcendent philosophy, and then argue that there is no inconsistency between ‘Islamic philosophy’ concept and open intellectual development.
Hadi Vakili; Parisa Goudarzi
Volume 5, Issue 3 , November 2014, , Pages 101-126
Abstract
Discussing the linguistic and logical nature of mystical paradoxes, analyzing the content of such statements, and opening their hidden secrets, is a new perspective of historical and scientific confronting to this phenomenon. Almost all the works that have been written for or against these paradoxes, ...
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Discussing the linguistic and logical nature of mystical paradoxes, analyzing the content of such statements, and opening their hidden secrets, is a new perspective of historical and scientific confronting to this phenomenon. Almost all the works that have been written for or against these paradoxes, where they are dealt with rational denial or defend of the paradoxes and there are signs of some sorts of logical justification or un-justification to deny or accept these words and expressions, by rationality and logic they mean Aristotelian rationality and Aristotle two-valued logic. Although the problems stem from contradictory or paradoxical nature of the expressions, it is un-reasonable to resolve these problems in Aristotelian logic but we need another logic. Fuzzy logic is such a logic, to which, as we shall show, the defenders of paradoxes unconsciously have indicated. But the narrow limits of intellectual peripatetic framework and Aristotelian logic and adherence to their laws and rules throughout the history, have not allowed thinkers, even the most prominent researchers in this field including Stace, to get rid of the dark and narrow framework of this logic
Hosein Shekarabi; ali sheykhol eslami; Hadi Vakili
Volume 6, Issue 2 , July 2015, , Pages 101-121
Abstract
Ibn al-Arabi, and views and positions which have been taken about him as an influential thinker, are among most remarkable consideration in the history of Shiite thought. Despite that some Shiite philosophers and mystics have agreed with him, there were thinkers who have criticized him and have rejected ...
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Ibn al-Arabi, and views and positions which have been taken about him as an influential thinker, are among most remarkable consideration in the history of Shiite thought. Despite that some Shiite philosophers and mystics have agreed with him, there were thinkers who have criticized him and have rejected his thoughts. The spiritual relation between Shiite and Islamic mysticism on the one hand, and the Ibn al-Arabi’s interests to and admirations of Shiite Imams and authorities (peace be upon them) on the other hand, can be considered as a ground for the tendency of Shiite philosophers and mystics to study and comment his works. However he also has always been sarcastically criticized because of his pantheistic positions and some other phrases that show he is a Sunni Muslim. This article deals with some of these censures on the one hand and those infatuations on the other hand. Thus, the main question in this article is that: what is the Shiite thinkers’ view toward Ibn al-Arabi?
Husain Mokhayeran; Mohammad Kazem Elmi
Volume 4, Issue 3 , March 2014, , Pages 103-117
Abstract
The problem of gradation is undoubtedly one of the fundamental issues in philosophy. We can perhaps consider this problem as a criterion to distinguish Sadrian philosophers from others. So that we can say that pre Sadrian philosophers have mostly rejected it but all Sadrians have more or less accepted ...
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The problem of gradation is undoubtedly one of the fundamental issues in philosophy. We can perhaps consider this problem as a criterion to distinguish Sadrian philosophers from others. So that we can say that pre Sadrian philosophers have mostly rejected it but all Sadrians have more or less accepted the idea.
Among pre Sadrians, there are some philosophers who have no explicit position on the issue, such as Mirfenderesky. The present article attempt to explain the peculiar position of the two philosophers on the problem of gradation through comparing their philosophies
Ali-Asghar Mosleh
Volume 2, Issue 1 , October 2011, , Pages 105-120
Abstract
Islamic wisdom in all of its varieties is the way of conceptualization of Islamic thinkers' insights about the human being and the world. This tradition as an intellectual school, along with the other ones, has emerged and developed in some Islamic countries, especially in Iran. From the beginning ...
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Islamic wisdom in all of its varieties is the way of conceptualization of Islamic thinkers' insights about the human being and the world. This tradition as an intellectual school, along with the other ones, has emerged and developed in some Islamic countries, especially in Iran. From the beginning of encountering of Islamic world with the modern worldview, this tradition has challenged modern approaches and issues by some of its representatives. According to these experiences and the horizons, conceivable about the future of contemporary culture and regarding the potentiality of Islamic wisdom, we would be able to discuss about the future of this tradition. Thinkers, who have noticed Islamic wisdom in contemporary world and have researched about it, have had three approaches considering it: 1.Instrumental approach; 2. Authentic approach; 3. Methodic approach Each of these approaches has had some contributions in development of Islamic wisdom. In the future, Islamic wisdom can go on its vitality in two areas: 1.In some cultural regions in Islamic world, such as Iran, along with associated religious courses; 2.In the realm of academic activities. In this paper, I schematically explore the foremost possibilities of this tradition in the mentioned areas.
Seyyed Ali Alamolhoda
Volume 5, Issue 4 , February 2015, , Pages 105-122
Abstract
Most of the researches who have thought on Time from the Islamic, Peripatetic, and Sadraian point of view, have concentrated on the relationship between motion and Time. This concentration perhaps caused the other faces of this sophisticated and ancient metaphysical problem be neglected. One of the most ...
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Most of the researches who have thought on Time from the Islamic, Peripatetic, and Sadraian point of view, have concentrated on the relationship between motion and Time. This concentration perhaps caused the other faces of this sophisticated and ancient metaphysical problem be neglected. One of the most important of them is the subjectivity or objectivity of the time.
This paper wants to review the answer of Mulla Sadra’s philosophical thought to this important question. So at first I try to explain the distinction between ‘Date’ and ‘Tense’ as two separated concepts of the time. Then, I will show that the Ibn Sina and his Muslim followers’ understanding of time, is based on the first concept (Date), and on the other side, the Muslim theologians (like Ash’arites) have a similar concept.
So in The Final Step of this research, it will be shown that on the principles of Mulla Sadra’s thaught we can consider Time as a completely mental factor, so it has not been derived from any objective matter, like the ‘motion’. But we accept that this conclusion would be denied by the most followers of Mulla Sadra
Seyyed Yahya Yasrebi
Volume 2, Issue 2 , October 2011, , Pages 107-122
Abstract
In the last decades, human rights have become a very sensitive topic. Elements of human rights can be traced back to ancient sources, however, there is no doubt that the current concept is the products of fairly recent intellectual and philosophical endeavors. For many years now, Muslims have been making ...
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In the last decades, human rights have become a very sensitive topic. Elements of human rights can be traced back to ancient sources, however, there is no doubt that the current concept is the products of fairly recent intellectual and philosophical endeavors. For many years now, Muslims have been making the case for Islamic human rights, seeking the recognition of an equal status to the western human rights. Among preeminent scholars in Islamic society who have argued for Islamic human rights, there is Allameh Ja'fari (1923-1998), who published some insightful works in 1982, as well as Javad Amuli (1933-…). In the present article, we survey and analyze the work of Allameh Ja'fari, focusing on the following points:
1. A recognition of the effort and precision of Allameh Ja'fari's work.
2. An assessment of his proposed definition of elements of Islamic human rights as well as his comparison with western human rights.
3. His suggestions as to how one should react and interact with the issue of human rights:
a) What should be the foundation of human rights and how to reflect on the rights of various religions according to it.
b) An emphasis on the pragmatic aspect of Islamic human rights, that is how and by which means these rights should be applied, rather than spending a huge amount of time on marginal issues, and seeking difficult to reach ideals.
Hadi Vakili; Seyyed Zohreh Seyyed Fatemi
Volume 6, Issue 1 , May 2015, , Pages 107-117
Abstract
God’s Names and his attributes and their appearances in the semantic, ontological and anthropological dimensions are one of the most important issues in Islamic mysticism. In the Quran and Islamic tradition, the names and attributes of God are used as an immanent and transcendent way of recognizing ...
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God’s Names and his attributes and their appearances in the semantic, ontological and anthropological dimensions are one of the most important issues in Islamic mysticism. In the Quran and Islamic tradition, the names and attributes of God are used as an immanent and transcendent way of recognizing the transcendence of time, and researchers have tried to understand and explain the relationship between the divine nature, and his names and traits. In this way, the Quran’s verse of ‘There is nothing like God’ considers Mohammad as one of His holy names which nothing can be found like him. The word ‘like’ have been considered in the verse, presumes that the Holy Prophet, peace upon him, is like Him and nothing can be like him as well.
Mahdi Azimi
Volume 7, Issue 1 , May 2016, , Pages 107-127
Abstract
سهروردی چرا شکل چهارم را از دستگاه قیاسیاش حذف میکند؟ آیا دستگاه قیاسی او، همانند دستگاه قیاسی ارسطو، به رغم فقدان شکل چهارم پذیرای آن است؟ یا تنگناهایی دارد که نمیتواند ...
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سهروردی چرا شکل چهارم را از دستگاه قیاسیاش حذف میکند؟ آیا دستگاه قیاسی او، همانند دستگاه قیاسی ارسطو، به رغم فقدان شکل چهارم پذیرای آن است؟ یا تنگناهایی دارد که نمیتواند شکل چهارم را صورتبندی کند؟ فرضیۀ این مقاله گزینۀ دوم است. دستگاه سهروردی در تنگنای سه اصل قرار داد که در این جستار «اصل بستگی»، «اصل ناوابستگی»، و «اصل یگانگی» نامیده شدهاند. شکل چهارم نمیتواند هم به روش سهروردی صورتبندی شود و هم این اصول سهگانه را حفظ کند. این نشانگر یک محدودیت مهمِ دستگاه قیاسی سهروردی در سنجش با دستگاه قیاسی ارسطو است.
Hossein Mohammadi; Abd-al-Rasoul Kashfi; Hassan Ebrahimi
Volume 5, Issue 1 , October 2014, , Pages 109-131
Abstract
One of the important issues in philosophy of mind is mind-body relationship. In this regard, there are two views: Monism and Dualism. Based on Dualism, human beings have two aspects: physical body and immaterial mind; on the contrary Monism holds that there is only one kind of ultimate substance by which ...
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One of the important issues in philosophy of mind is mind-body relationship. In this regard, there are two views: Monism and Dualism. Based on Dualism, human beings have two aspects: physical body and immaterial mind; on the contrary Monism holds that there is only one kind of ultimate substance by which the human beings are constituted.
Though Mullasadra and John Hick, from two different philosophical traditions, both believe in the two aspects, as this article wants to prove, Mullasadra’s view is monistic, however not in its prominent meaning in philosophy of mind; his view is a novel one based on his philosophical views. John Hick is a substantial dualist. He advocates his view at the cost of rejection of mind-brain identity theory and also epiphenomenalism. Nevertheless, aside his view on mind-body relationship, most of his theories are similar to Mullasadra’s theory, namely, believing in two different aspects for human beings, mind emergence procedure, mind immateriality, human physical initial creation, interrelation of mind and body, and their effects on each other
Amir Delzendehnezhad; Yadollah Rostami
Abstract
In this article we examine the commonalities between some epistemological views of Mulla Sadra (circa 1571-1636) from Persia and Nishida Kitaro from Japan (1870-1945). Our research method was descriptive and analytical, and using the two philosophers’ main texts we compared their ideas and remarks. ...
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In this article we examine the commonalities between some epistemological views of Mulla Sadra (circa 1571-1636) from Persia and Nishida Kitaro from Japan (1870-1945). Our research method was descriptive and analytical, and using the two philosophers’ main texts we compared their ideas and remarks. Although Nishida Kitaro still has not been properly introduced in Iran, during the 2010s efforts were made to do so, including studies conducted by Dr. Muhammad Asghari, which were first published as a few articles, and later collected in the form of a book released in 2017 by Quqnus Publications. Until now there has been no comparative study of the two thinkers in terms of particular epistemological subjects. We can nonetheless refer to a kindred study: Muhammad Asghari’s article entitled “The Possibility of Dialogue between the Kyoto School and Islamic Wisdom” in which he concludes that the dialogue is indeed possible. It might be asked what theoretical and practical uses finding commonalities between two philosophers from two different countries might have. The answer is that it can lay the ground for a universal and combinational philosophy and/or pave the way for mutual understanding and dialogue in meta-history. Prevailing in this universal and combinational philosophy is a macro and integral rather than micro and differential view. The type of comparison which pays more attention to commonalities than differences proposes an intercultural formulation of philosophical questions. The questions intended to be answered in this article are as follows. 1. What are the commonalities between the ontological foundations of the two thoughts? 2. What are their commonalities in terms of the process of knowledge and perception of the world? The two thinkers have common ontological foundations and their epistemologies are based on ontology. We explain in the form of comparative statements the commonalities first in their ontologies and then in their epistemologies. Their common ontological foundations In Nishida reality is identical to consciousness, and in Mulla Sadra being is concomitant (mūsawīq) with knowledge. In Nishida reality has an ultimate foundation from which all the beings are created. In Mulla Sadra the Necessary Being (wājīb al-wūjūd) creates beings. In Nishida the foundation of reality is in a place called Basho, which is neither physical nor determined. Nor does it have a form. It is absolute nothingness, yet not nothingness versus being, but rather a transcendental nothingness from which being is created. In Mulla Sadra the Necessary Essence does not have any determination and form, but rather is unconditional and free from any limits or denotations. Its status is the status of the absolute unseen. For Nishida entities and beings are the actualization and manifestation of that ultimate foundation, and also for Mulla Sadra the Necessary Being, which is pure being, has manifestations and actions, so that beings are actualized. Human consciousness in Nishida’s view is the best place for the manifestation of the ultimate, and in Mulla Sadra’s the human soul is described as God-like. Their common epistemological views Nishida thinks that a process beyond the soul, more transcendental than the soul, is involved in the process of knowledge, which can be called the field of knowledge or the unconscious dimension of knowledge. For Mulla Sadra, the active intellect, which is more transcendental than the soul, is involved in human perceptions. The soul is not passive in the process of knowing the reality and perceptional forms have subsistence by emergence (al-qīyām al-ṣūdūrī) from the soul, the agency of the soul having a part in the process. According to both thinkers the realities of the percipient and perceived are unified and there is no duality between the two. They both believe that human beings construct and shape themselves through their own activities, and that reality is manifested in the soul. In Nishida, the truth and falsity and correspondence with reality are attributes of propositional and conceptual knowledge, and in Mulla Sadra those are attributes of acquired knowledge (al-īlm al-ḥuṣūlī). Both concur that the perfect soul is less weakened by obstacles and gains more intuition of reality.
Hadi Vakili; Pedram Pourmehran
Volume 5, Issue 2 , November 2014, , Pages 113-129
Abstract
The Unity of God and Universe is the basis of Ibn-al Arabi and Spinoza's thought. Ibn-al Arabi explains it through a mystical approach; based on his theory of existential unity God is unique real existence and the universe is his light. Spinoza analysis the theory of substantial unity by a rational and ...
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The Unity of God and Universe is the basis of Ibn-al Arabi and Spinoza's thought. Ibn-al Arabi explains it through a mystical approach; based on his theory of existential unity God is unique real existence and the universe is his light. Spinoza analysis the theory of substantial unity by a rational and philosophical approach; he believes that God is one substance and the universe is the modes which has arisen from his attributes. In order to outline the philosophical implications of Unitarianism, this paper reviews and analyzes the issues like God's attributes; the orders and levels of his being; and his global necessity, on the basis of unity of God and Universe
Mohammadkazem Elmisola; zohreh salahshour; Alireza Kohansal; Ali Moghimi
Abstract
Memory is a potency which makes man to be able to fix and to deposit those data which are being grasped through senses, and to use them whenever are needed. That is why our data remain unchanged and we can clearly remember our past. For Mulla Sadra the memory is unchanged because it is an abstract entity. ...
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Memory is a potency which makes man to be able to fix and to deposit those data which are being grasped through senses, and to use them whenever are needed. That is why our data remain unchanged and we can clearly remember our past. For Mulla Sadra the memory is unchanged because it is an abstract entity. Based upon his theory, all corporeal entities are constantly moving. Therefore if the memory is corporeal, it has to be subject to the change. But neuroscientists do not consider all motions as change. So for them the motions at the level of subatomic or atomic world do not make any change in the biological world. Even if it is considered to be a change by transcendent theosophy, but for neuroscientists only those changes at the level of neuron sells can change the memory, thus they attribute the fixity of the memory to the fixity of coding the genes and accordingly coding the neurons, and if any kind of confusion occurs in this function, we will lose our memory. Therefore for them the memory is corporeal, and in spite of being so, in normal conditions no change occurs in its deposited data. Thus to prove the abstractness of the memory we have to utilize other reasons.
Mohammad Nejati; Ahmad Beheshti
Volume 4, Issue 1 , October 2013, , Pages 117-129
Abstract
Analysis of Ibn Sina's Approach in motion theory shows he has doubt in proving certain types of accidental movements and in denying the substantial motion process. This doubt is indicative of sheikh’s philosophical foundations in essentiality of existence and is accompanied by proof of certain ...
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Analysis of Ibn Sina's Approach in motion theory shows he has doubt in proving certain types of accidental movements and in denying the substantial motion process. This doubt is indicative of sheikh’s philosophical foundations in essentiality of existence and is accompanied by proof of certain types of accidental movements such as Quantity and quality of motion in the creatures because of negating gradation in quiddity and believe its mentally posited in sinavy thought. Yet Ibn Sina Submitted to its accuracy because the moving process in Quantity and quality is evident. But on the other hand, he refuses to accept the motion in creatures" substance Due to the lack of serious concern in essentiality of existence and its abstraction Principles. It is reflected in some positions of his thought. In these positions Ibn Sina implicitly and even explicitly has acknowledged the incomplete immateriality of soul and possibility of ishtidad, despite of denial of substantial motion of souls.
raham sharaf
Volume 6, Issue 4 , March 2016, , Pages 117-133
Abstract
Abstract
Social life requires acceptance of some norms by individuals which in turn restrict their freedom. Though the norms or so-called laws are essential to preserve order and security in the society, the laws conflict with individuals’ freedom in some cases. Due to the importance of law and ...
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Abstract
Social life requires acceptance of some norms by individuals which in turn restrict their freedom. Though the norms or so-called laws are essential to preserve order and security in the society, the laws conflict with individuals’ freedom in some cases. Due to the importance of law and individuals’ freedom and the impossibility to rule out both, a kind of philosophy is needed to resolve any possible conflicts. Ayn Rand is a philosopher who has become known as an advocate of ethical egoism. In this paper, I first discuss how previously mentioned conflict can be resolved by adopting her philosophical and ethical foundations and since it is based on her ethical theory, a brief report of her ethical egoism will be presented. Next, it will be discussed, from Rand’s point of view, why an individual enters the society. According to Rand, a rational egoist individual enters society and communicates with other individuals to receive benefits through career and knowledge. However, the individual’s interests may conflict each other. Here Rand holds that the concept of politics and government is raised to protect individual’s freedom and establish public order in the society. Finally, Rand’s response to the conflict between law and individuals’ freedoms will be analyzed and its strengths and weaknesses will be expressed.
neda asadi jafari; hassanali pourmand
Volume 7, Issue 2 , August 2016, , Pages 119-151
esmat hemmaty; mehdi dehbashi
Volume 6, Issue 3 , October 2017, , Pages 121-141
Abstract
Allameh Taba-tabaei (1281-1360 Hijri) is the first contemporary thinker who has paid serious attention to epistemological discussions. In his book, philosophy principles and realism method, written to clarify the contrariety between Islamic philosophy principles and materialism, he removes doubts instilled ...
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Allameh Taba-tabaei (1281-1360 Hijri) is the first contemporary thinker who has paid serious attention to epistemological discussions. In his book, philosophy principles and realism method, written to clarify the contrariety between Islamic philosophy principles and materialism, he removes doubts instilled by sophists, skeptics and empiricism about confidence in reason (intellect) in attaining truths, and introduces Islamic philosophy as a realistic constitution based on rationalism rather than idealism. Allameh has been well-informed of the serious attention of European philosophers especially after Kant to epistemological discussions, and has had conscientious effort to explain the defense of Islamic philosophers of intellect dignity and the validity of its issues. He has also paid attention to the unique role of intellect in the comprehension of religious facts, and comments on important points in Almizan-Exegesis regarding this issue. It can be said that Allameh Taba-tabaei defended rationality in two fronts. First, against excessive sensualism and positivism that resulted in negation and rejection of all kinds of philosophical and religious sovereignty, and culminated in skepticism and relativism in all realms of belief and ethics. Second, against literalism (formalism) and Akhbarism, which through denying the authority of rationally, disparaged the bases of revelation itself and have led to agnosticism and obscurantism at the same time. This article considers the position of Allameh on these two issues.
Morteza Shajari; Leila Ghorbani Alvar
Volume 3, Issue 2 , October 2013, , Pages 125-143
Abstract
In science of logic equivocation and content participation has been described on the basis of the literary contractions among men of letters, but Mulla Sadra referring to that philosopher doesn't pay attention to these contractions, explains the two terms on the basis of realities of things and the relation ...
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In science of logic equivocation and content participation has been described on the basis of the literary contractions among men of letters, but Mulla Sadra referring to that philosopher doesn't pay attention to these contractions, explains the two terms on the basis of realities of things and the relation of single word (wujud) with them. As a result of the "graded unity of being", the concept of existence is content participated; since it indicates on a single truth that is common in all creatures. But according to "particular unity of existence" that Ibn Arabi found it through intuition and Sadra proved it in discussing about cause and effect, the only extension of existence is God and thus, all discussions of equivocation and content participation will be meaningless. Therefore, we cannot really predicate "existence" to the possibilities, but we have two options: either predicate it to them by using a special gnostic term called "entity", or predicate the existence to them, metaphorically. A metaphor mulla Sadra names it as a 'gnostic metaphor' which is different from verbal one.
zohre salahshur sefidsangi
Abstract
Notion of consciousness is one of the most important problems in the history of philosophy. Because of the difficulty of defining consciousness, some philosophers have divided it into phenomenal consciousness, access consciousness, self-consciousness, and monitoring consciousness. Philosophers who associate ...
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Notion of consciousness is one of the most important problems in the history of philosophy. Because of the difficulty of defining consciousness, some philosophers have divided it into phenomenal consciousness, access consciousness, self-consciousness, and monitoring consciousness. Philosophers who associate consciousness with the soul, such as Mulla Sadra, from which he refers to the knowledge of presence and on that basis, it explains the characteristics of consciousness, all types of consciousness refer to something beyond the material. This, in his view, can not reduce consciousness to matter.This is while the physicalist views, such as the theory of connectivity, attribute consciousness to matter. According to connectors, consciousness can be explained using artificial neural networks. Contrary to its claims, this theory is incapable of explaining the types and characteristics of knowledge. In this theory, the reason that attributes awareness to neural networks is to make awareness equal to the processing of information. While, according to Mulla Sadra, consciousness (understanding of information) involves processing information.But it is also possible to process information without consciousness. According to Mulla Sadra's view, therefore, the relation between consciousness and information processing cannot be equated.
Homayon Shekari; Ebrahim Rahimi Zangene; vahid mobarak
Abstract
Abstract In the current research, writers aim to specify that Ruzbahan has used "Eltebas" with the meaning that "Plotinus" have used emanation. "Eltebas" is a Peculiar Lexicon in Ruzbahan Baqli-e-Shirazi's Intellectual System. He has Used This Metaphorical Title for naming appearance of God. In his point ...
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Abstract In the current research, writers aim to specify that Ruzbahan has used "Eltebas" with the meaning that "Plotinus" have used emanation. "Eltebas" is a Peculiar Lexicon in Ruzbahan Baqli-e-Shirazi's Intellectual System. He has Used This Metaphorical Title for naming appearance of God. In his point of view, due to Eltebas, right, appears in the universe. This Thought has been seen previously in Greece philosophy, especially in Plato & Plotinus 'ideas have entered Islam world via translation of his work, companionship with Christians,…and had had an impression on intellectual stream of the Islam World. Ruzbahan's ideas about the relationship between creator & creatures are close to Plato& Plotinus's ideas in a way that they have the same allegory. By considering cultural exchanges between East & west Mediterranean it has to be said that this similarity is in a way that it proves that Ruzbahan had been impressed with these Greek philosopher. And it's not false to call him "Neo-platonic". Muslims were familiar with Plato’s (347 BC) name, his beliefs, and his works, but Plotinus (270 CE) does not appear in their work. In certain works of Islamic philosophy as well as those of sects and creeds, a person is mentioned as “the Greek master.” In contemporary scholarships, it has been determined that this person was Plotinus (see Badawi 1955:1). The Greek master is mentioned in Ṣiwān al-ḥikma, Al-ḥikmat al-khālida and Al-milal wa-l-niḥal, where some of his remarks are cited. The author of Al-ḥikmat al-khālida refers to the Greek master as having a particular philosophy, although he does not refer to his main beliefs (see Miskawayh 1358:216). It should be acknowledged that “in the history of Islamic philosophy, Plotinus was undoubtedly one of the most influential Greek philosophers, who was directly or indirectly considered throughout the history of philosophy in Islam” (Pourjavadi 1378:98). Some scholars have gone so far as to suggest that he is at least as influential as Aristotle (322 BC): “his influence in the Islamic thought is not by any means less than that of Aristotle” (Badawi 1955:2). Of Plotinus’s work, his Enneads (nine essays) is available to us. Summaries of the fourth, fifth, and sixth essays were translated into Arabic in the third century AH (ninth century CE) under Theologia. In this research, this work is more important than Enneads, because Muslims learned about Plotinus’s views through this Arabic translation. The essay was translated by a Christian scholar ‘Abd al-Masīḥ ibn ‘Abd Allāh Nā‘ima al-Ḥimṣī(third century AH). The work was misattributed to Aristotle (see Badawi 1955:1-18). It should be noted that Muslims’ acquaintance with Plotinus’s doctrines was not limited to Theologia. In fact, “they were familiar with the work of other Neo-Platonists, particularly Pyrphyry and Proclus” (Pourjavadi 1387:104). With these preliminaries and having in mind that a sort of unity in creation is articulated in the work translated from Plotinus and his studies into Arabic, it can be said that the most prominent impact of Plotinus on Muslims is where the theory of the unity of existence is developed (see O’Leary 1374:42). Plotinus says there is no doubt that we should not talk about observations, but about the observer and the observed, and one should dare talk about the pure unity (Stace 1388:243). On this account, it should be acknowledged that, in addition to Muslim philosophers, Islamic mysticism, particularly beauty-centered mysticism, is influenced by Plotinus’s doctrines. 2. Methodology and Material The method of research here is based on historical method and content analysis. We first examined data about how the Greek intellectual heritage, particularly that of Plato and Plotinus, was transmitted to eastern neighbors of Greece and Rome. We have then examined the understanding of eastern intellectuals, particularly Rūzbahān Baqlī Shīrāzī. It is noteworthy that, of different dimensions of the impact of the heritages of Plato and Plotinus, this research focuses on the relation between the one and phenomena. We conclude that Rūzbahān was influenced by Plotinus’s views. 3. Results and Discussion A problem raised in Plato’s and then in Plotinus’s philosophy is whether the Monad (the unified essence) is related with creatures? In discussions of his theory of Forms, Plato has deployed the metaphor of “participation” (methexis) in answering the question. This was strongly opposed by his student Aristotle. Later, Plotinus combined their views to provide a more rational structure of the issue. He explains the presence of the “one” in the world by drawing upon the metaphor of “emanation” or “issuance.” Plotinus likens the one to a bright volume from which light and warmth emanates involuntarily and without it undergoing a diminution or multiplicity. In this way, he describes how the one is related with other stages of creation. With this revision, Plato’s view found a less flawed form in Neo-Platonic philosophy. Rūzbahān Baqlī Shīrāzī (606 AH/1209 CE) was influenced by Plotinus’s doctrines. In his work, he was inspired by Neo-Platonic theology. An investigation of this reveals the great extent to which beauty-oriented mystics were influenced by Greek philosophical theology. For this reason, it is necessary to specify different dimensions of this influence. The outline of Rūzbahān’s intellectual system led him to offer an answer to the problem of the relation between the creator and creatures in line with his religious beliefs. He portrays the original creation in the same way as Neo-Platonic philosophers. He suggests that the creation is constituted by necessity and the principle of emanation, but instead of equivalents of “emanation” or “issuance,” he uses the term “iltibās” (clothing). (Baqlī Shīrāzī 1389:53-54) 4. Conclusion Drawing upon the notion of “participation,” Plato tried to argue that creatures participate in the divine essence. Thus, the world was portrayed as a fundamental unity, despite its multiplicity. Just like Plato, Plotinus believed in unity in multiplicity. Plato recognized that there is a separation between the worlds of ideas and senses in Plato’s view, Plotinus deployed “issuance” or “emanation” in his theory. In his view, the world results from the issuance of the one, where issuance does not lead to diminution, multiplicity, imperfection, and the like. Unity in multiplicity was characteristically acceptable to Muslims, as it was based on Quranic doctrines. The theory was deployed by philosophers and then mystics. Rūzbahān is obviously influenced by Plotinus’s theory. In his view, the creation of the world begins from God, and then ends in reason, spirit, and finally matter. The process is explained in line with Plotinus’s philosophy in his ‘Abhar al-‘āshiqīn and Sharḥ shaṭaḥiyyāt. In contrast to emanation, he uses the term iltibās. He views the mundane world as the abode of iltibās, which is God’s manifestation in the world. In other words, God’s iltibās is the manifestation or revelation of divine essence in sensible things. This is inevitable in the course of creation. On this account, Rūzbahān’s description of the creation of the world corresponds to Plotinus’s doctrines as they are generally received in the Islamic world, which indicates Rūzbahān Baqlī Shīrāzī’s evident influence from Plotinus’s views. Rūzbahān should, thus, be deemed a Neo-Platonic philosopher.
maryam abbasabbadi arabi; Ali Haghi; Alireza Kohansal
Abstract
Philosophers and intellectuals have always been concerned with the problem of life. Many have considered it from different points of view. In ancient philosophy, life was attributed to the soul. Pythagoras was the first to treat the soul as the origin of life. He was followed by Anaxagoras who referred ...
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Philosophers and intellectuals have always been concerned with the problem of life. Many have considered it from different points of view. In ancient philosophy, life was attributed to the soul. Pythagoras was the first to treat the soul as the origin of life. He was followed by Anaxagoras who referred to the life force, which gave life to the material world, as Nous (intellect or spirit). Just like his predecessors, Plato believed that the soul was the origin of life, and in the case of real entities, life, spirit, motion, and reason are inseparable. Following Plato’s lead, Aristotle traced the cause or origin of life to the soul. These ideas left a great impact on Muslim philosophers. Avicenna—a prominent philosopher in the Islamic world—appealed to Plato’s and Aristotle’s accounts to argue that life is essential to the soul, believing that the soul is by itself alive, and physical objects come to be alive by virtue of the soul. Accordingly, the criterion of life for Avicenna is perception and action. After Avicenna, Mullā Ṣadrā provided the same definition, developing it by drawing on his own philosophical principles.Mullā Ṣadrā argues that life is the origin of “perception” and “action,” incorporating the two notions in his definition of life. In his view, a living being is a perceiving acting entity; that is, an entity with knowledge and consciousness, which does certain actions. In other words, it should be such that it knowingly and consciously does the action. Given his philosophical principles such as the primacy of existence, its simplicity, and its gradation (tashkīk), he establishes the idea that life is a graded entity pervasive throughout all stages of existence. On this account, every living being’s life is the way of its existence, which determines its vital effects. The nobler and stronger the existence is, the more perfection the perception and the firmer the action will be. Hence, every being enjoys life as much as it enjoys existence. We refer to certain existing entities as non-living because we cannot perceive the effects of life in them. For volitional sensation and motion are indications of life, and beings that tangibly have such characteristics are living, and this is not to deny life in other beings. For instance, Quranic verses affirm that there is such a life in beings which cannot be perceived by human senses. Thus, according to Mullā Ṣadrā’s philosophy, all existing entities are ipso facto alive, whereas pre-Sadraean philosophies attributed life only to animals and humans on account of their perceptive and motive faculties, lacked by plants and solid objects, and thus they saw these entities as non-living. This is incompatible with Quranic verses and the principles of Mullā Ṣadrā’s philosophy. There are Quranic verses referring to the exaltation of God by all beings—something not perceived by human senses. These verses indicate that all beings enjoy consciousness and life. Mullā Ṣadrā argued for such general consciousness and life by drawing on his philosophical principles. In this way, the widespread view that only some beings are alive is implausible in terms of Mullā Ṣadrā’s transcendent philosophy, and once life is proved for a stage of existence, it will be proved for all other stages of existence by dint of the principles of the primacy, simplicity, and gradation of existence. This is compatible with many Quranic verses and hadiths in which the power to talk, to hear, and to know is attributed to apparently non-living beings, which implies a degree of life in them.On this account, life is a graded reality that exists as an existential perfection in the necessary being, humans, animals, plants, and solid objects in different degrees. Thus, the necessary being is essentially alive, giving existence and life to other entities. Such existence is the same as life, and solid objects, plants, animals, and humans enjoy degrees of life to the extent that they enjoy degrees of existence. The view is confirmed by Quranic verses, denoting that all beings exalt God, which imply that all beings are alive. Mullā Ṣadrā cites the Quranic verse, “There is not a thing but celebrates His praise, but you do not understand their glorification,” and then comments that all beings prostrate for God and praise Him in a volitional conscious manner, and perfective attributes such as life, knowledge, and power are not separable from these beings.
Philosophy
Maryam Tahmasebi; Abbas Zahabi; Ahmad Beheshti
Abstract
Shihab al-Din yahya Suhrawardi, illuminationist philosopher, explaining his epistemological views, proposed a new point of view that known as illuminationist relation and in this way he considers the acquisition of many perceptions, including vision, of through of intuitive knowledge.The present research ...
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Shihab al-Din yahya Suhrawardi, illuminationist philosopher, explaining his epistemological views, proposed a new point of view that known as illuminationist relation and in this way he considers the acquisition of many perceptions, including vision, of through of intuitive knowledge.The present research focuses on the nature of knowledge by presence and its role in the problem of “vision.” It considers the following key question: Does Suhrawardī mean the same thing by “knowledge by presence” in all degrees of perception from the most primitive external levels—that is, vision—to the deeper levels? Then, given his epistemic model, can we treat him as a phenomenologist? The present article considers the nature of knowledge by presence in the process of vision according to Suhrawardī and presents a different approach to it. By reference to Suhrawardī’s discussion of issues of vision and a conceptual clarification of “presence,” we show that Suhrawardī could not have used the term “knowledge by presence” in the case of vision in its common sense as opposed to “knowledge by acquisition” (al-ʿilm al-ḥuṣūlī). Instead, this is a different notion, and thus the term is equivocally used in his work. Moreover, we argue that his epistemological model for vision is phenomenological. The method of research in the present article is qualitative and analytic
Philosophy
nader shokrollahi; خدیجه amiri; Shaker Lavaei
Abstract
The study of the nature of prophetic revelation (waḥy risālī) is a tenet of any study of revelatory religions; that is, Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. There are different ways to study and know the revelation. One such way is to make recourse to similar capacities possessed by ordinary people; ...
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The study of the nature of prophetic revelation (waḥy risālī) is a tenet of any study of revelatory religions; that is, Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. There are different ways to study and know the revelation. One such way is to make recourse to similar capacities possessed by ordinary people; that is, those who are not prophets. True dreams are a case in point. Indeed, non-revelatory true dreams are significant things occurring to humans, and they have been studied by Muslim philosophers. One relevant question here is: are true dreams of the same category as prophetic revelation, and thus, can we learn more about the latter by knowing about the former? If they have an identical nature, then knowledge of one might lead to knowledge of the other, in which case, the method of knowing prophetic revelation based on true dreams, and vice versa, will be rendered rational, opening the path toward expansive future research. On the other hand, if they are just partially similar, without being of an identical nature, then although knowledge of one might partially help knowledge of the other, it cannot yield full-fledged knowledge thereof. Crucially, there are religious texts in which true dreams and prophetic revelations are said to be related to each other—e.g. the former is said to be one-fortieth or one-seventieth of the latter. This has prepared the ground for philosophical reflections on the relation between the two notions by Muslim philosophers. In this research, we aim to examine the similarities and distinctions between non-revelatory true dreams and prophetic revelations according to an influential philosopher in the history of Islamic philosophy: Fārābī. Some points about the background of the issue are in order. To begin with, although Fārābī dealt with an analysis of revelation as well as dreams, he was not primarily concerned with the similarities and distinctions between the two, and hence, no direct answer to the above question might be found in his work. Second, although his commentators have considered his account of revelation and sometimes dreams, they were not primarily concerned with the similarities and distinctions between the two. Third, contemporary scholars and authors have sought to account for prophetic revelation in terms of dreams from a phenomenological viewpoint, independently of Fārābī’s account. However, this is founded on the wrong assumption that we adequately know dreams, and thus, we can draw on such knowledge to know prophetic revelation. The present article seeks to consider whether we can properly know prophetic revelation in terms of dreams, and vice versa. This means that we are not concerned with an independent study of either of these phenomena. The method of the article is as follows: it cites the work by Fārābī and his commentators, derives the characteristics of true dreams and prophetic revelation, and having analyzed their similarities and differences, it provides an answer to the main question above. Roughly speaking, a consideration and analysis of the work by Fārābī and his commentators leads us to the conclusion that the two phenomena are remarkably similar in his view, and on account of such similarities, one might subsume prophetic revelation and true dreams under one and the same category. This means that knowledge of one might lead to an understanding of the other, although there are distinctions between the two, which preclude their identification. As to the similarities between the two phenomena, we have found the following in Fārābī’s work: (1) in both prophetic revelation and true dreams, the rational human soul is connected to the Active Intellect (al-ʿaql al-faʿʿāl), and in this way, it receives universal and particular fragments of knowledge, without any reflections or education—which are often necessary for other kinds of knowledge, (2) both of these phenomena involve the imaginative faculty, which has the function of representation. That is, when receiving fragments of knowledge from the Active Intellect or other supernatural sources, the knowledge in question is sometimes formless, in which case the imaginative faculty functions to give a particular form to this formless entity, and sometimes it gives another form to a truth that already has a form, and (3) since the imaginative faculty is involved, both true dreams and revelations are sometimes in need of interpretations. Nevertheless, a prophet is discriminated from a dreamer due to his sacred power, acquired intellect (al-ʿaql al-mustafād), strong imaginative faculty, and immunity to errors in receiving the revelation. We conclude that while we might make partial inferences from one phenomenon to the other, knowledge of one is not tantamount to that of the other. The distinction between true dreams and prophethood is a matter of degrees; that is, while they share certain characteristics, each has its own peculiarities as well. On the whole, it is plausible to make inferences from dreams to revelation and vice versa, but the limitations of such inferences, because of their differences, must be taken into consideration
