A Comparative Study on Molla Sadra and John Hick's Views on the Quality of the Otherworldly Body

Molla Sadra explains the necessity of existence of the otherworldly body and the process of its formation and also its quality based on some principles including: the rule of "corporeal origination and spiritual continuance" (jismaniah al-Huduth va ruhaniyah al-baqa'), motion in the category of substance and the course of soul in the three worlds and proving the immateriality of the faculty of imagination. He believes the otherworldly body is an ideal body and is identical with this world's body because of [having the same] personal identity. Ideal body, according to this view, is a corporeal body with a different material and correspondent with the world of imagination which is created by activity of the soul. Believing the recreation of human as a corporeal-mental unit by the power of God and presenting the theory of substitution, John Hick proves the existence the otherworldly body and introduces it as a similar substitute for the worldly body with a different non-spiritual material. He believes the criterion of personal identity [between the two bodies] is memory and for this reason he considers the otherworldly body is a new body and different from this world's body. Comparing the two views, they have some common and different points which show that the perspective of John Hick, the Christian religious tradition philosopher, is close to the view of Molla Sadra who is the greatest Islamic philosopher.