Reflections upon the Concepts of “Fundamental” and “Conventional” Binaries in line with “the Being” and “the Essence” Issues

Like other philosophical issues, the issue of the fundamentality of existence is based on some special imaginary principles. At the first glance, the imaginary principles of this issue are “existence”, “essence”, “fundamental”, and “conventional”. This paper discusses the two later issues. Utilizing a descriptive and historical-philosophical method, a frequency analysis and survey on the earlier works were carried out, but except Sohrevardi, merely in some works by some recent intellects, some deliberate references on the features of “fundamental” and “conventional” issues were made. As defined by the philosophers, “fundamental” means the realized phenomenon in the exterior, the referable sensory, the origin of works, the effected, generated due to its own self, existent by Himself, and son and so forth. As the “Fundamental” and “Conventional” concepts have been used in a complementary way, given different applications of the word “fundamental” are taken into account, the word “conventional” would also take different meanings as well. The sayings of those who study Mullā Sadrā and his critiques imply that each of the concepts of “fundamental” and “conventional” have taken on three general, specific, and the most specific meanings. To get these meanings, focus on the three conditions of “the exterior fulfillment”, “the originality of works”, and “generatedness due to its own self” are of paramount significance. Moreover, the distinction between the concepts “consequentially” and “accidentally” and their oppositeness with “naturally” should be made.