Transcendent Philosophy an International Journal for Comparative Philosophy and Mysticism
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Volume 11. December 2010 Transcendent Philosophy An International Journal for Comparative Philosophy and Mysticism Editor Transcendent Philosophy Journal is an academic Seyed G. Safavi peer-reviewed journal published by the London SOAS, University of London, UK Academy of Iranian Studies (LAIS) and aims to create a dialogue between Eastern, Western and Book Review Editor Islamic Philosophy and Mysticism is published in Sajjad H. Rizvi December. Contributions to Transcendent Philosophy Exeter University, UK do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial board or the London Academy of Iranian Editorial Board Studies. G. A’awani, Iranian Institue of Philosophy, Iran Contributors are invited to submit papers on the A. Acikgenc, Fatih University, Turkey following topics: Comparative studies on Islamic, M. Araki, Islamic Centre England, UK Eastern and Western schools of Philosophy, Philosophical issues in history of Philosophy, Issues S. Chan, SOAS University of London, UK in contemporary Philosophy, Epistemology, W. Chittick, State University of New York, USA Philosophy of mind and cognitive science, R. Davari, Tehran University, Iran Philosophy of science (physics, mathematics, biology, psychology, etc), Logic and philosophical G. Dinani, Tehran University, Iran logic, Philosophy of language, Ethics and moral P.S. Fosl, Transylvania University, USA philosophy, Theology and philosophy of religion, M. Khamenei, SIPRIn, Iran Sufism and mysticism, Eschatology, Political Philosophy, Philosophy of Art and Metaphysics. B. Kuspinar, McGill University, Canada H. Landolt, McGill University, Canada The mailing address of the Transcendent Philosophy O. Leaman, University of Kentucky, USA is: Y. Michot, Hartford Seminary, Macdonald Dr S.G. Safavi Center, USA Journal of Transcendent Philosophy M. Mohaghegh-Damad, Beheshti University, Iran 121 Royal Langford 2 Greville Road J. Morris, Boston College, USA London NW6 5HT S.H. Nasr, The George Washington University, UK USA Tel: (+44) 020 7692 2491 Fax: (+44) 020 7209 4727 S. Pazouki, Iranian Institue of Philosophy, Iran Email: [email protected] C. Turner, University of Durham, UK H. Ziai, UCLA, USA Submissions should be sent to the Editor. Books for review and completed reviews should be sent to the Book Review Editor. All other communication Assistant Editor: should be directed to the coordinator. Shahideh Safavi, University of London Transcendent Philosophy is published in December. Coordinator: Annual subscription rates are: Institutions, £60.00; individuals, £30.00. Please add £6.00 for addresses Seyed Sadreddin Safavi, University of London outside the UK. The Journal is also accessible online at: www.iranianstudies.org. Layout & Design © London Academy of Iranian Studies Mohamad A. Alavi, www.mediatics.net ISSN 1471-3217 Volume 11. December 2010 Transcendent Philosophy An International Journal for Comparative Philosophy and Mysticism Articles Philosophical comparison between the Teleology of Islam in Western perspective of Mulla Sadra and Descartes Framework and Mawdudi’s Politico- on Soul, Stylistic Pragmatics, Seyed G Safavi [5-20] Abdul Rahim Afaki [177-208] Mulla Sadra on The Human Soul and its Iḥbāṭ and Takfīr: two theological Becoming, concepts in Islamic literature, Zailan Moris [21-36] Maryam Kianifarid [209-218] Rereading Fromm's Conditions of the Human Situation, Seyed Javad Miri [37-50] Meister Eckhart: How Christian Mysticism Appropriates Absurdist Challenge, Mohammad Maroof Shah [51-74] Axiology of Mathnavi Maulana Rumi: The Art of Human Relationship and the Science of Peace, Seema Arif [75-92] Impact of the Controversy between al- Ghazali and Ibn Rushd on the Development of Islamic Thought, Munawar Haque [93-132] Doris Lessing’s The Golden Notebook and its Relationship to Sufism, Shahram Kiaei [133-154] Religious Response to Metaphysical Rebellion, Bilal Ahmad Dar [155-176] Transcendent Philosophy © London Academy of Iranian Studies Philosophical comparison between the perspective of Mulla Sadra and Descartes on Soul Seyed G Safavi SOAS, University of London Abstract This paper examines the philosophical views of Mulla Sadra and Descartes on ‘Soul’, in five main axis. The Five axis include the following: 1. Exposition of Mulla Sadra’s philosophical view concerning the soul; 2. Exposition of Descartes view on the soul; 3. Examining points of similarity and difference between the opinions of Mulla Sadra and Descartes; 4. The distinct strength of Mulla Sadra’s theory; 5. The Criticism of Descartes’ theory. The foundation of Mulla Sadra’s theory is ‘the corporeality of contingency and the spirituality of subsistence in relation to the soul’ and the foundation of Descartes’ theory is ‘the real distinction between the substance of the soul and body’. The new theory of Mulla Sadra in regards to the soul led to the presentation of a philosophical proof for proving physical resurrection, and the dualism of Descartes led to the collapse of his philosophical system. Introduction The topic of ‘knowledge of the soul’ has been amongst the most complex philosophical topics throughout the history of philosophy and human thought, such that Averroes (1126-1198) considered the proposition of a definition and limit for soul to be impossible. Mulla Sadra (1596-1650) the Muslim Iranian philosopher who is the founder of al-Hikmah al-Muta’aliyah (transcendent philosophy) and René Descartes (1596-1650) the French philosopher who is the founder of 6 Seyed G Safavi modern western philosophy, by establishing new philosophical systems in the Islamic and western world in regards to the soul, offered new theories which have had significant consequences. Thus, a comparative analysis of the opinions of these two philosophers in regards to the important topic of soul is of importance. The analytical structure of this article is as follows: 1. Exposition of Mulla Sadra’s philosophical view concerning the soul; 2. Exposition of Descartes’ view on the soul; 3. Examining points of similarity and difference between the opinions of Mulla Sadra and Descartes; 4. The distinct strength of Mulla Sadra’s theory; 5. The Criticism of Descartes’ theory. ‘Soul’ from Mulla Sadra’s philosophical perspective Besides his philosophical views on soul Mulla Sadra has also examined topics related to the soul from the perspective of the Holy Qur’an, theology and prophetic narrations, thus, using the term ‘philosophical’ in the subheading of this section is to clarify that this article only deals with the philosophical arguments of Mulla Sadra which are related to the themes that are also covered by Descartes. In the view of philosophers, soul is a substance which is essentially independent, which in action requires matter, is attached to bodies and has a governing connection with the body. In the opinion of Aristotle, ‘the soul is the first of a natural, organized body potentially possessing life’1. In contrast to other philosophers who consider the human soul to be static, Mulla Sadra considers it to be gradational. The importance and innovation of Mulla Sadra’s theory on the soul, is in how the soul appears. His famous sentence in this regards is ‘the soul is corporeal in its origination but spiritual in its subsistence’2, because the human soul for origination and manifestation requires matter and uses the potentialities of the body. The soul is considered to be an organ of the body and this is a reason for the argument that an existence separate to that of the body is not required for the soul. Mulla Sadra by using his “principle of transubstantial motion” which is amongst his Philosophical comparison between the perspective of Mulla Sadra and Descartes on Soul 7 important philosophical innovations, has proven that it is possible for a material phenomena which has the potential to become abstract, to slowly gain an immaterial form with the help of transubstantial motion, and finally he concluded that the matter of the soul, is the same as the matter of the body, and that the soul is a physical reality which desires to ascend to the spiritual world (malakut). The soul passes the following stages in its journey of perfection: the soul in the foetal period is in the stage of the vegetative soul. In the beginning of birth it is animal by actuality and human by potentiality, and with the condition of living a life of thinking and contemplation, at around the age of forty s/he becomes a human in actuality. The soul concurrently with being a unified essence, has both the faculty of audition and that of vision, and besides being capable of thought it has a sensual faculty. Mulla Sadra considers the evolutionary journey of the soul to be harmonious with and alongside the process of the general universal motion, a motion which begins from matter, but reaches a stage which is transcendent from matter and ends at the abstract. Mulla Sadra in his following books deals with different topics related to the soul: ‘Arshiyah, Masha’ir, Mabda’ wa Ma’ad, Shawahid al- Robubiyyah, Asfar and Hashiyeh bar Hikmat al-Ishraq-e Suhrewardi. These topics include the following: how the soul is made, the relation between the soul and the body, the substance of the soul, the degrees of the soul, the evolutionary journey of the soul, the immateriality of the soul and the subsistence of the soul amongst others. First Principle: The soul being Gradational The human soul, from the beginning of its creation to its telos has various ranks, and in this path passes different existential stages. As such, the soul is not static, rather it is dynamic, alive and gradational. The soul in its initial attachment to the body is referred to as ‘corporeal substance’; after that it gains power from stage to stage and is transformed into the different forms of its creation until it no longer needs the body and can subside on its own. The soul after leaving the body, by separation from the material world and journeying towards the 8 Seyed G Safavi eternal world, returns to its Lord. On the basis of this journey and principle, ‘the soul is corporeal in its origination but spiritual in its subsistence’3.