Mohammad Mehdi Geraei; Mahdi Azimi; mustafa zali
Abstract
Mental existence is considered one of the fundamental pillars of epistemology in Islamic philosophy. Sadr al-Muta'allihin Shirazi is regarded as one of the defenders of this theory, ...
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Mental existence is considered one of the fundamental pillars of epistemology in Islamic philosophy. Sadr al-Muta'allihin Shirazi is regarded as one of the defenders of this theory, who has presented numerous arguments to prove it. This theory, which has been predominantly accepted by Islamic philosophers, has faced serious challenges in the contemporary era from the School of Separation and its followers. In this context, Mirza Jawad Tehrani has explicitly presented arguments rejecting this theory, while Mirza Mahdi Isfahani, the founder of the School of Separation, although not directly, has spoken in such a manner within his views that the outcome is the elimination of mental existence from the human epistemological framework. The present study, aiming to examine and analyze these challenges, first provides a coherent exposition of the views and arguments of both sides, and then, relying on rational methods and philosophical analyses, defends the theory of mental existence. The findings of this article indicate that the objections raised by the School of Separation are fundamentally not applicable to the theory of mental existence, and the alternatives they propose not only fail to explain the mechanism of knowledge but also lead to internal contradictions and the rendering meaningless of propositions that imply the ascription of attributes to non-existents.
