The Role of the Imaginal World in Providing Solutions to the Crises of Contemporary Man According to Henry Corbin

The present article deals with man’s concerns and his crises on the basis of Corbin’s views. Corbin began his philosophy and thought on the basis of asking questions about the condition of man and his crisis; then, he sought solutions to these problems on the basis of the basic principles of philosophy and theosophy. He believed that the main cause of the problems and crises in contemporary western world must be sought in the western philosophers’ ontology and epistemology.He sought the main solution in appealing to the imaginal world. The present article, states the main crises of contemporary man according to Corbin, such as the belief in dualism in the whole existence and knowledge, secularization (the separation of theology from philosophy), the disappearance of escatology, secularization of art, the one-dimensional approach to religion, and the loss of true principles for bringing the religions closer to each other. Finally, the solutions offered by Henry Corbin on the basis of Islamic theosophy are stated and briefly criticized in the views of some Iranian sages such as Avicenna, Suhrawardi and Mulla Sadra by emphasizing on the Iranian feature of the imaginal world.