Remembering or Processing Knowledge? Examining Mīrzā Mahdī Iṣfahānī’s and Leibniz’s Views on Innate Perceptions

The discussion of the existence of common innate perceptions among humans, at the top of which is the belief in the existence of God, is one of the important topics among epistemologists. Through qualitative data analysis, this article tries to examine the natural perceptions in the thought of Mīrzā Mahdī Iṣfahānī and Leibniz and then discusses the issue of remembering or processing these perceptions. The findings of the research showed that both were of the opinion that humans have prior concepts from birth. Mīrzā Mahdī considers these perceptions to be actual and of the nature of emergency knowledge and introduces its place as the human heart and believes that they are to be forgotten. Therefore they need to be reminded. Citing narrative arguments, he enumerates various reminders, which this research considers them under the two categories: naturalistic reminders, such as reflection on divine signs and verses, difficulties and hardships, self-knowledge and self-preservation, and religious reminders such as Quran, dhikr (remembrance of God), the prophets and Ahl al-Bayt. According to Leibniz's theory of human constitution, it is inspired by the Christian teachings of divine illumination and God's face, and by dividing perceptual facts into two areas of reason and reality and by forming a system consisting of monads and a system of prior coordination, he considers the innate perceptions not as having the nature of knowledge, but of potential talents that become actual and explicit perception under an internal origin. Leibniz considers the actualizing factors of innate talent to be reflection or reflective perception, learning, and contemplation in sensations and creatures and the design governing them.