Allamah Misbah’s Puzzle about the Emergence of the Soul in the Philosophy of Mulla Sadra

This paper examines criticism of Mulla Sadra's doctrine that the human soul begins as a corporeal substance and evolves into an incorporeal, eternal substance. The authors explore the main issues raised by Allamah Misbah, show how these relate to contemporary philosophical discussions, and suggest two defenses of Sadra's position: one inferred from Sadra's own works, and one drawing on contemporary philosophy. The paper argues that Sadra's view, despite criticism, can be defended against objections in the philosophy of mind, metaphysics, and Islamic theology.

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Abstract

SUBJECT AND OBJECTIVES: Purpose in this paper is to examine the criticism, explore the main issues raised, show how these issues are related to contemporary philosophical discussions, and suggest how Sadra’s position might be defended. Two kinds of defense will be suggested: first, we can surmise from Sadra’s works how he might have responded to the criticism; second, we can consider how a position like Sadra’s could be defended in view of contemporary philosophy.METHOD AND FINDING: This research is a qualitative research with a critical analysis approach. One of the distinctive features of the philosophy of Mulla Sadra is his doctrine of the soul. He held that the soul evolves from the body. The human soul has its beginnings in material existence, but it evolves beyond the material and achieves eternal immateriality.CONCLUSION: The idea that the incorporeal soul as a seperable substance, might have begun its existence as a corporeal substance and then changed into an incorporeal substance has been criticized by Allamah Misbah. His criticism raises a number of issues in the philosophy of mind, metaphysics, and Islamic theology.