Mulla Sadra and the Critique of the Fundamentals of Avicennian Philosophy Concerning the Perception of the Other

Mulla Sadra’s point of view concerning the perception of other is feasible as a result of profound study and serious critic of Ibn Sina’s ideas and its precise understanding demands more attention to these critiques. Ibn Sina considers the perception of other as acquired and based on impression. Mulla Sadra criticizes this theory and rejects it; because he regards it as based on principles such as permanence of corporeal and sensual substance, denial of Platonic ideas and negation of identity of the knower and the known which is by no means acceptable for him.Unlike Ibn Sina, Sadra bases his own commentary of the perception of other on the belief in the sustantial movement of body and soul, Platonic Ideas and unity of the subject and object and hence regards the perception of other restricted to intuitive percepion, i.e. the presence of the form of object before the subject. Truth and falsity or superiority of each of these two viewpoints about perception of the other depends on the truth and falsity or superiority of the fundamentals and principles of it. Of these four foundations, the identity of the knower and the known is of the utmost importance. This is a theory which the unity of bieng and principality of being constitutes its basis and not only distinguishes Mulla Sadra’s thought from Ibn Sina, but also from Suhravardi’s thought.