The Relationship between Existence and Quiddity in the Transcendent Philosophy

The kind of the relationship between existence and quiddity in the Transcendent Philosophy has been propounded in the discussions on the principiality of existence and the mentally-posited nature of quiddity. Mulla Sadra has explained this relationship in two ways. On the one hand, he argues that existence is originally and essentially realized, and quiddity is realized by accident and through the mediation of existence, with which it is eventually united. On the other hand, he believes that it is only “existence” which is objectively realized, and quiddity never steps into the realm of existence and is merely a mentally-posited affair which the intellect abstracts from existence. These two apparently different interpretations seem to have created a confusion among the researchers in this field. That is why some of them have accused him of contradiction, and some others have tried to justify this contradiction in a way. However, a reference to Mulla Sadra’s collection of works makes it clear that these two interpretations are not contradictory. When he states that existence and quiddity are realized by essence and by accident, respectively, he is referring to the nature of the existent, and when he negates the existence and realization of quiddity, he is referring to quiddity in separation from existence. In this paper, the writer has tried to clarify this point by reference to the works of Mulla Sadra himself.