The meaning and the Aim of Life from Mulla Sadra's Standpoint

To reply to the question on "the meaning of life", you need to know the nature of man appropriately. Philosophical anthropology is considered by Mulla Sadra as forming the basis of all teachings and fundamental questions without which other kinds of learning is not completed. According to him, man is blessed with certain superiorities over other beings, originating from the human soul and intellect, and it is due to his rational perception that he sets to find the truth and meaning of life. Man, practically, is not void of end and aim. The ideal aim of life, in the sight of the intellect, is to know God. Accordingly, man tries to know God and his actions and in this process, he proceeds to know himself and the world as genetic/existential actions of God, formulating the four theoretical and practical voyages. This existential and voluntary behavior of man will reach its destination and bear fruit, provided that he moves voluntarily at the intellect's command towards God to gain tranquility by Him. The purposefulness of man and his life is based on substantial motion/transubstantiation and the flexibility of his essence. Unlike other beings, man has no stable position in the rank of existence; he can move down to the lower levels of existence or move up to higher levels. Apart from his ideal aim, man enjoys several middle aims. In this paper we try to explain the philosophical anthropology of Mulla Sadra and then examine his view about the meaning of life.