جستجوی مقالات مرتبط با کلیدواژه « knowledge of essence » در نشریات گروه « فلسفه و کلام »

The present study seeks to answer the question "Is it possible to know the divine essence in the system of Fakhr-e-Razi thought?" Organized and the most important results are: Fakhr-e-Razi, after denying the possibility of conceptual and formal knowledge of the Almighty God, by raising the issue of the possibility of seeing, seeks a new cognitive system, according to which one can achieve the knowledge of the divine essence. In the first step, he proves the possibility of knowing the essence with eight reasons. Although there are criticisms of his reasons and some of which are analyzed with prejudice and subjectively, but in general, the possibility of knowing by Fakhr seems acceptable. There is evidence that Fakhr-e-Razi, in his later works, preferred the mystical method and in the second step, took the mystical method and after stating the eight reasons, offers the four stages of seeking, purifying, observing one's non-existence, and annihilation as solutions for attaining the essence and acquiring knowlege about it.

The divine knowledge is among the important issues in the sphere of theology, whose analysis has been disagreed upon by various thinkers and numerous views have been presented in explaining it. In this regard, Abul-Barakat Baghdadi – in his famous book entitled al-Muʿtabar fil-Ḥikma – has reviewed and analyzed Avicenna's view. From this inquiry, it becomes clear that these two thinkers share the view of accepting God's intuitive knowledge of His own essence as well as His knowledge of existing immaterial things; however, they disagree on the divine knowledge of non-existent things (knowledge before generation) as well as knowledge of material mutable things. Here, we have dealt with explanation and evaluation of both views.

Ibn Sina holds two radically different views towards the possibility of knowing the essence of things; in some of his writings, he argues in a way that he believes the knowledge of the essence of the things is possible, though it contains difficulties. In some other, on the contrary, he states human knowledge is limited to the accidents and attributes of things. So there is no possibility of knowledge of the essence. In order to shed light on this controversial issue, one should focus on the ontological and epistemological basis of Ibn Sina philosophy. Thus, the findings of the research reveal, on one hand and based on Ibn Sina philosophy, the subjects are classified according to their achievement of the epistemological degree of the realms of sense, imagination, and intellect. And on the other, the ability of simplicity or composition of the subjects shows the number of people who succeed in knowing the essence of things or fail in it. In other words, the access to the higher degree of intellectual knowledge and the ability of composition lead to make the knowledge of essence possible, while remaining in the degree of the sense or imagination and simplicity of subject cause fail in knowing the essence.

Visiting professor، University of Tehran، Farabi branch This paper seeks to study the history of Platonic ideas in the works of Islamic thinkers. The theory of Platonic ideas is of great ontological، epistemological، psychological، ethical، theological، and aesthetic significance. Since the time of Plato himself the issue of Platonic ideas has been subjected to an abundance of discussions، verifications and critiques، both by the western and the Islamic philosophers. A historical content analysis of the views of the Islamic thinkers including Farabi، Avicenna، Sheik Shahabeddin Suhrawardi، Mohaqeq Davani، Mirdamad، and Mulla Sadra، indicates that، firstly، the theory of Platonic ideas has both undergone numerous adjustments and modifications by the Muslim thinkers and has been adopted selectively and its ethical and aesthetic aspects have not been given any attention by them. Secondly، their reasons for the rejection or the substantiation of the theory of ideas are insufficient and، thirdly، the illuminist and mystic philosophers (in the general sense of the words) have shown more interest to accept it.