The Purification of the Soul; an Elaboration and Evaluation of its Role in Transcendent Philosophy

The purification of the soul and its relation with knowledge is a question that should be studied from an ontological perspective as well as an epistemological one. This issue has not received proper attention in the tradition of Islamic philosophy, and has not been studied systematically and academically. This article deals with the issue on the basis of the foundations of transcendent philosophy. It begins with explaining the relevant philosophical principles and goes on to depict Mullā Ṣadrā’s view about the role of the purification of the soul on the acquisition, preservation, and effectiveness of knowledge. At the end, it tries to mention and answer some critiques about this viewpoint.