An Inquiry into Beauty Perception on the Basis of Allāma Sayyid Muhammad Hossein Tabātabāei's View Regarding the Difference between Contingents (Itibārīāt) and Truths

Beauty perception is one among many other human perceptions. Aesthetics deals basically with understanding this kind of perception, and endeavors to explain its characteristics. In two books (one philosophical and the other mystical) of 'Allāma Tabātabāei, one can find out immediately that this kind of perception is introduced as contingent perception. There is no clear elucidation of this kind of perception in these two books. The author's main objective is to come in some justifiable conclusions with regard to the perception of beauty while considering it as a contingent perception. This article, on the basis of its proposed definition of the act of contingent-making, throws light of inquiry on the fact that the attribution of beauty to things and states by the faculty of imagination is a contingent attribution and the attribution can be considered as true once it is attributed to the authentic truth. Having brought forth the philosophical characteristics of this kind of judgment, the internal factors pertaining to the perceiver and the external factors related to the perceived/perceptible are clarified as well. Finally, this article shows that how this kind of perception like other contingents leads humankind to his/her own true perfection