The Meanings of the Unity of Predication: From Muhaqqiq Dawani to Late Muzaffar

For two propositions to be contradictory, in addition to differences, the eight - fold unities are also needed. It is commonly believed that Mulla Sadra has added the unity of prediction to the unities of subject, predicate, space, time, condition, relation, particularity and generality. In the late Islamic philosophy, the word “unity of predication” is used as an expression to indicate the fact that two propositions are contradictory only when besides having all the other necessary conditions, they are both either primary essential predication or common technical prediction. In the following paper, we will be showing first that this expression is not, as it is known today, used to indicate the distinction of primary essential and common technical predication in the history of Islamic philosophy, and has a wider use. Secondly, it shows that its addition to the conditions of prediction, even in its common sense, is not Mulla Sadra’s innovation. Meanwhile, historical evidence for five different meanings of this expression will be presented, three of which are different from its common usage. Also it will be made clear that the common meaning of this expression, i.e. its usage to refer to the primary essential predication and common technical prediction, will take several new meanings in the wake of different interpretation given of them so far.