Comparative Study of the Quality of the Soul-Body Relation in Mullā Ṣadrā and E. J. Lowe
Subject Areas : Studies on Mulla Sadra and the Transcendent PhilosophyParvin Nickseresht 1 , Ghasem Kakaie 2 , Mohammadbagher Abbasi 3
1 - PhD Candidate of Islamic Philosophy and Kalam, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran
2 - Professor at the Islamic Philosophy and Kalam Department, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran
3 - Assistant Professor, Islamic Philosophy and Kalam Department, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran
Keywords: soul-body relation, Transcendent Philosophy, philosophy of the mind, subject of experience, Mullā Ṣadrā, Edward Jonathan Lowe,
Abstract :
One of the fundamental questions in philosophical anthropology pertains to the quality of the relationship between the soul and the body as two separate substances. This question has also been targeted in both Islamic philosophy and the philosophy of the mind. In Islamic philosophy, through propounding the principle of the corporeal origination and spiritual subsistence of the soul, Mullā Ṣadrā has tried to provide a decisive answer to this question. On the other hand, Edward Jonathan Lowe, one of the distinguished authorities in the field of the philosophy of the mind, has tried to resolve this challenge through negating the absolute immateriality of the soul. Following a descriptive-analytic method and through library research, the present study was carried out to investigate and evaluate the views of these two philosophers in order to find out whether they have been successful in solving this problem. The findings of the study indicate that, although it initially appears that both of them have been able to overcome this dilemma through providing similar responses, some deliberation over their approaches reveals that their answers suffer from certain problems that must be resolved.
