A Critical Study of the Sources of Knowledge as Viewed by Sadra and Descartes

One of the most fundamental topics in the philosophy of knowledge is the problem of knowing the sources of knowledge. The sources of knowledge are those origins of which human knowledge is acquired for the human soul and by meeting which and using perception tools the cognitive self acquires knowledge. Sadr al-Mutuallihin and Rene Descartes have been two prominent philosophers of thought and of school in two different philosophical geographies that have provided specific, innovative and influential views in this field. The authors of this article have expressed their views in a concise and complete manner. Sadra introduces the world of nature, the world of ideas and the world of intellect as the main sources of knowledge. From Sadra`s point of view, the heart and the human intellect are two epistemic tools that, by promotion, have the ability to attain the status of epistemic source. Descartes, too, considers reason, self-evident knowledge and needless of any reflection, intangibles, dialogue, and books as the sources of knowledge. He, however, does not consider revelation, inspiration, basic causes, and true principles as the sources of knowledge. In the following we will review and critique the views of these two philosophers on these topics.