A comparative study concerning the soul-body problem in the philosophical psychology of Mullā Ṣadrā (1571-1640) and ibn Sīnā (980- 1037)

This thesis will partly compare the approaches of two pioneers in Islamic philosophy to the soul-body problem: the philosophical psychology of Mulla Sadra (Sadr al-Muta'allihin Shirazi 975-1050/1571-1640) and that of Ibn Sina (370-428/980-1037). Our main concern will be with the former, the founder of "trancendent theosophy", particularly his ideas regarding the corporeal generation of the soul.A brief historical background of the problem is presented in the first chapter. In order to evaluate the real philosophical value of Mulla Sadra's doctrine, the thesis will investigate the soundness of Mulla Sadra's novel psychological findings. "Substantial motion" (al-harakah al-jawhariyyah) and the "gradation of existence" (al-tashkik fi maratib al-wujud) are the two main philosophical principles formulated and implied by our philosopher regarding the elaboration of his theory on the soul's developmental process.In our study, we discuss the nature of the soul-body relationship, the evidence which indicates their mutual interaction, and finally, the various forms of this relationship. In the final chapter, we focus on the developmental process of the soul's substantial motion up to the stage of union with the active intellect. Our analytical discussion is centered on whether or not the theory of the corporeality of the soul's generation yields a meaningful conception of the soul's evolution from materiality to immateriality.Considering the serious challenges and unsolved difficulties that still remain, it is an open question whether Sadra's theory, particularly its emphasis on the corporeality of the soul's generation, can adequately account for the soul's developmental process up to the stage of unity with the world of intellects