Educational Implication of the Relationship between Soul and Body in Descartes and Mulla Sadra’s View

The relationship between body and soul has a history as old as the history of philosophy؛ an issue that has reduced؛ in the light of today's physicalistic views in the West؛ to the relationship between body and mind. It is one of the issues affecting education in various fields. The present article focuses on the views of the two Western and Muslim thinkers؛ i. e. Descartes and Mulla Sadra؛ on the topic and its educational implications. The research method in this study is analytical. These two thinkers have been chosen because of their extraordinary influence on their later intellectual currents؛ especially in the relationship between soul and body. Descartes' theory؛ with its emphasis on the distinction between body and soul؛ has turned their relationship into an insoluble problem؛ paving the ground for extreme approaches of idealism and physicalism in the West. Since Mulla Sadra has provided a philosophical explanation for the unity of soul and body as a solution for this problem؛ he has had a great impact on later thinkers. The important educational implications of the unity of soul and body؛ physical origination of the soul؛ essential movement؛ and the unity of soul’s faculties are as follows: lifetime learning؛ promotion of educational goals؛ mutual relationship of the dimensions of education؛ simultaneous attention to physical and spiritual needs؛ variety of teaching methods؛ emphasis on the educational environment؛ the modeling role of the educator؛ and the individual differences in the educational programs