جستجوی مقالات مرتبط با کلیدواژه "faculties of the soul" در نشریات گروه "فلسفه و کلام"

In theoretical mysticism, the human’s soul is the midpoint between his immaterial spirit and his material body. It has tools called faculties. This article searches in the psychology of the theoretical mysticism and founds its quest on the analytical-descriptive method of the faculties of the soul to investigate their functions as well as the relationship between the soul and its faculties. It concludes that considering the most basic foundation in theoretical mysticism, which is personal unity of existence, the unity of the soul is delineated under the true shading unity – which is the shade of the divine true real unity – and accordingly, the faculties of the soul are referred to as manifestations and specifications of the soul. Thus, the plurality of the faculties are not conflicting with the soul’s unity; rather, they show its existential comprehensiveness and strength, and suggest that the soul, while preserving its unity and oneness, is equal with the faculties, and that the soul’s faculties are existent in all orders of the soul through conditional mood. Therefore, the existence of human’s soul is, in the position of essence, non-conditioned to its own orders and specifications and is, in the manifestation of faculties, conditioned by something.

Explorations concerning the faculties of the soul are among the most important discussions within Sadrian psychology. Based are two aspects, the discussions on faculties of the soul are interconnected with natural assumptions. Firstly, philosophers prior to Mulla Sadra have discussed psychological problems in the section on natural sciences. Secondly, the soul and body have a close relationship, to the extent that addressing certain issues related to faculties of the soul necessitates discussing bodily issues. In this paper, compiled data have been analyzed and examined using a rational method. It is established that natural assumptions, such as the theory of the four elements, the mizaj (temperaments) and the nine spheres of heaven, as well as empirical propositions regarding the effects and functions of animal body parts, have been employed in three ways in discussions related to the faculties of the soul. Some of these assumptions have been utilized in proving problems, such as enumerating and proving the faculties of the soul, the necessity of the faculty of touch, and proving the faculties of the heavenly souls. Other assumptions have been employed in expounding issues, such as defining and specifying faculties of the soul, elucidating the functions of faculties of the soul, and clarifying the position of tools and faculties of the soul. Some natural assumptions have even originated specific problems related to the discussions on faculties of the soul, such as the problems of faculties of the heavenly soul.

An analysis of the philosophical teachings of Ibn Sina and Mulla Sadra show us that in these two philosophical schools of thought, the faculty of wahm was never rejected as a secondary source for the actions and conceptions of the soul. Rather, in the philosophy of Ibn Sina, this faculty was like the other faculties of knowledge of man, i. e. it was an independent faculty distinct from the others.
However, in the philosophy of Mulla Sadra, this faculty does not have an independent existence and it resembles a ‘fallen intellect’ that has descended from its original station and that has turned towards the imaginative and sensible forms.  Therefore, the faculty of wahm is like the intellect in that it is intellectual in nature and has achieved a level of intellectual immateriality. So, there is no existential distinction between them. In this philosophical system, each one of the categories of the realm of existence has its own degree of existential intensity or weakness. The pure intellect falls at the highest degree of the realm of intellection and the faculty of wahm, i. e. the lower intellect, can be found at the lowest level of this realm.  It seems that the various standards by means of which the existential multiplicity of the external beings has been applied to the problem of the existential distinctions of the faculties of knowledge that are situated in a vertical hierarchy with one another. This has led to different views regarding the nature of the existence of the faculty of wahm.  This is because Ibn Sina understands the existential difference between the faculties of understanding of man to lie in the personal accidents that lie outside of the essence and quiddity [of these faculties]. He was of the belief that human beings are classes of one reality and quiddity that are different from one another in their locus and the specific actions of understanding.  Mulla Sadra however, does not believe that their distinction lies in material accidents, since he believes in the immateriality of all of the faculties of understanding.  Rather, based upon the theories of the principality of existence, gradation in existence and the unity of knowledge, the knower and the known he was of the belief that the faculties of understanding that form a vertical hierarchy with one another become individual and distinct from one another due to their unity with the higher beings of quiddity.  

Since Almighty God has created the human soul as a comprehensive example of all beings in the world, and also because the human soul rules and manages its realm similar to a powerful administrator and leader, this study, inspired by a philosophical approach to the soul, aims to revisit the patterns of the management of organizational behavior and supreme organizational acts. The reason is that one of the successful methods of portraying valid social structures is to benefit from the truth of the creation-centered fitrah (primordial nature). This paper explains the relationship between the soul and its faculties based on the psychological approaches of the Peripatetic and Transcendent schools of philosophy. Here, the writers clarify the theories of “conquer relation” and “gradation relation” and try to gain a new perspective of the relationship between the soul and its faculties as two models of management and leadership, called “delegated management” and “diffused management” and explain their features. Finally, they try to provide and explain a single model based on an integration of the mentioned models.

The faculty of imagination is considered to be among the inner faculties of the soul by Ibn Sina and Mulla Sadra. Ibn Sina considered it material in nature, while Mulla Sadra maintained that it was immaterial, and both adduced some arguments to support their views in this regard. In considering imagination as material, Ibn Sina had to deal with some serious philosophical problems such as corporeal resurrection and preservation of certain souls. While responding to his arguments, Mulla Sadra provided several arguments in order to demonstrate his own stand on this issue. On evaluating the arguments of these two philosophers, the author finds Mulla Sadra’s position to be more acceptable than that of Ibn Sina. Moreover, by confirming the immateriality of the faculty of imagination, Mulla Sadra had several achievements such as justifying the preservation of memory during old ages and some other meta-psychological problems and demonstrating ascension, corporeal resurrection, and subsistence of simple human souls, which Ibn Sina also sought to resolve. Therefore, it can be concluded that Mulla Sadra’s theory regarding the immateriality of imagination is more functional and can facilitate the process of adducing rational justifications and arguments for some religious beliefs.