Epistemology in Philosophical Systems of Descartes and Sohrawardi

Descartes is at the top of philosophers who follow epistemology through a systematic method; he does his best to infer all of knowledge through his proposed ways and by which he achieves certain knowledge. He considers some introductory requirements which are necessary to achieve knowledge. First, principles of knowledge, second, method and third, doubt, of course, the kind of doubt which is a tool for Certainty. On the other hand, Sohrawardi criticizes the peripatetic philosophy which is merely rational and based-on-demonstrative, and changes the basis of knowledge and cognition in his philosophy. Through proposing the idea of knowledge by presence and mysticalintuition which can be achived by soul, he considers this way as the only way to achieve the genuine knowledge; therefore, he believes that in the knowledge and purification of soul, not only one should try worldly belongings but also entrnal and external senses and any material thing to be prepared to achieve knowledge. From similarities between two philosophers, it can be mentioned that both of them emphasize on the self knowledge and understanding the soul as the basis of all knowledge. From differences of these two philosophers, it can be noticed that Descartes considers reason as the only way toget knowledge while owing subject Sohrevardi regards the mixture of reason and intuition, as the way to get knowledge.