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Ontology of Intentionality and Primacy of Existence

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Intentionality in Mulla Sadra

Part of the book series: Studies in the History of Philosophy of Mind ((SHPM,volume 24))

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Abstract

Third chapter compares intentional objects and mental existents as two manifestations of the ontological investigation on intentionality. First sections present Russelian-Quinean and Meinongian approaches as modern alternatives and following chapters evaluate Mulla Sadra’s monist ontology around mental existents such as concept of existence, nonexistence, universals, quiddity in which these mental beings are regarded as parts of single reality, existence, yet at a lower level of intensity.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Before Ṣadrā, Dawānī makes distinction between wujūd and mawjūd important part of his theory (Pourjavady 2011, 89ff.). Surprisingly, the distinction plays not a significant role in Ṣadrā’s philosophical language.

  2. 2.

    I find various interpretations of this section as an exciting opportunity for alternative ontologies and even theological discussions about God’s relation with its creations. However, I refrain from stabilizing the paragraph with either one or another interpretation about the three degrees of existence.

  3. 3.

    Ali Shirvani, “Epistemology and Transcendent Philosophy”, http://www.Mullāsadra.org/new_site/english/Paper%20Bank/Transcendent%20Philosophy/13-78140%20@%20Shirvani.htm. Accessed 20 June 2013.

  4. 4.

    “وجود الشيء إما عيني أو ذهني أو لفظي أو كتبي. والأولان حقيقيان؛ والآخران وضعيان، لاختلافهما بحسب الأعصار والأمم.” (Tanqīḥ, the ʿIbāra section, 254). Cf. a parallel text from Aristotle about conventionality of names: “I say ‘by convention’ because no name is a name naturally but only when it has become a symbol. Even inarticulate noises (of beasts, for instance) do indeed reveal something, yet none of them is a name” (Aristotle 1984–1991, DI, 16a26, trans. J. L. Ackrill).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Islamic Philosophy, İstanbul University, İstanbul, Istanbul, Turkey

    Sümeyye Parıldar

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Parıldar, S. (2020). Ontology of Intentionality and Primacy of Existence. In: Intentionality in Mulla Sadra. Studies in the History of Philosophy of Mind, vol 24. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-39884-2_3

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