An Analysis of the Essence of Death from Plato and Molla-Sadra's Perspectives

Plato and Molla-Sadra have a thirst and entreaty for death. Analyzing Plato and Molla-Sadra’s views of the content of the ilm-on-nafs relating to the death, this article will investigate the characteristics of human death to find out their similarities and differences. According to Plato’s thought, death is bound with myth. He also believes the existence of soul before body during which it has observed the realities. According to Molla-Sadra’s view, there is a concept named natural death which is the result of transubstantiation and corporeal contingency of soul. Finally it will be explained that besides time pre-understandings, different egology bases has also resulted in Plato and Molla-Sadra’s different understandings of death, despite their similarities. Plato regards death as a return to the world of realities because death is a separation from the world of becomings and a philosopher desires it; while according to Molla-Sadra’s thought death is a stage of perfection which has previously started by transubstantiation and the material world provides the conditions for real knowledge.