Consistency of Mullā Ṣadrā’s Perception of the Principle of Impossibility of the Knowledge of Effect without the Knowledge of Cause with Ontological Foundations of the Transcendent Philosophy

According to the principle of “impossibility of the knowledge of effect without the knowledge of cause”, it is not possible to attain any certain knowledge of an effect prior to attaining the knowledge of its cause. Based on logicians’ reading of this principle, it is only our acquired knowledge, which is obtained through reasoning, that conforms to this principle. Nevertheless, Mullā Ṣadrā provides an innovative analysis of the mentioned principle and, in contrast to logicians, concludes that it applies to all types of knowledge, whether acquired, presential, axiomatic, or theoretical. Some commentators of Mullā Ṣadrā’s works do not agree with his new interpretation of this principle and maintain that it is defective. However, the present study reveals that his perception is compatible with his own ontological principles, and the criticisms advanced by his commentators originate in their lack of attention to them.