A Study of the Sense of Touch from the Perspective of Mulla Sadra and Neuroscience

One of the most important and complex human senses is the sense of touch. The sensation of cold, warmth, roughness, softness of the objects, and similar items are perceived by the skin. The concept of this sense in Islamic philosophy and neuroscience has a common definition. But neuroscience has described the process of touch sensation in more details. According to Mulla Sadra's philosophy, these details about the tactile process are acceptable, but neuroscience only addresses “the preparing causes” of perception. This explanation about preparing causes is also mentioned in Mulla Sadra's works, which is compatible with the natural science explanations in that era. According to Mulla Sadra, only after the stages of preparing causes, the perception by the soul takes place.The tactile sense is also among the common topics in Mulla Sadra's philosophy and neuroscience. Neuroscience classification is based on sensory receptors, but in Mulla Sadra's philosophy, things that are tangible are the basis of classification. In this regard, it seems better to update the topic of tactile sense according to the findings of neuroscience.