The Immediate Knowledge of God in Spinoza and Mulla Sadra

Spinoza and Mulla Sadra, in spite of having different philosophical principles, paid special attention to the problem of immediate knowledge of God. A philosophical dialogue between them can be held, if the two following conditions are satisfied. First, the ontological features of the object of that knowledge -that play the essential role in immediate knowledge- should be identified. In this regard, infinity in Spinoza’s philosophy and lacking quiddity and being superior to the perfection in Mulla Sadra’s philosophy can be cited. Secondly, the definition of the immediate knowledge and its main feature that is relevant to the object of that knowledge should be surveyed. On one hand, Spinoza points out that the truth of this kind of knowledge and complete correspondence between that knowledge and its object are its main characteristics. On the other hand, Mulla Sadra stresses that such knowledge is confined to the existential degree of the knower. The comparison shows that Spinoza, in common with Mulla Sadra, asserts that the immediate knowledge is the most perfect one which the most perfect existent is its object. Nonetheless, the breadth and the narrowness of the meaning of the medium, along with inconsistency in Spinoza’s view and consistency in Mulla Sadra’s position on the immediate perfect knowledge of God are the matters that distinguishes Spinoza’s views from those of Mulla Sadra’s.