Grounds and Arguments for the Immortality of the Soul in MullaṢadrā's View

Ṣadr al-Muta’allihīnShīrāzī seeks to show the immortality of the human soul on the basis of certain grounds, such as the principality of existence, gradation of existence, substantial motion, the physical incipience of the soul, and the division of the world into the world of matter, the world of barzakh, and the world of intellects. With these grounds at hand, MullāṢadrā shows that the human soul is created as a material entity early in its existence, and then it goes on a substantial motion. During the motion or change in its essence, the material soul turns into an immaterial entity, and then it finds an eternal life in the world of intellects. According to his view, the souls that could not achieve the degree of immateriality in this world will continue their substantial motion in the world of barzakh until they join the world of intellects. However, MullāṢadrā’s view is subject to objections. In this paper, we will examine and criticize some of the grounds for the immortality of the soul in MullāṢadrā’s view.