Aspects of Mulla Sadra’s Interpretation of Platonic Ideas

It seems that the theory of Platonic Ideas has played an extensive role in the history of Islamic philosophy. Mulla Sadra (1571–1640), a Muslim and Iranian philosopher and founder of Islamic Transcendent Wisdom, used this theory extensively by using mystical and illuminative approaches, as well as verses from the Quran. He first criticizes some of the interpretations of Platonic Ideas from previous Islamic philosophers, such as Farabi, Ibn Sina, Suhrawardi, and Mir Damad. He then tries to demonstrate and explain its virtues by utilizing four different approaches, namely, ontological, epistemological, mystical, and religious approaches. The ontological approach argues that there must be a unity and end to trans-substantial motion in material existents, and this end is one or more Platonic Ideas. From an epistemological aspect, he argues that in intellectual perception, the human soul observes ideal and abstracted samples of corporeal things, which we can call Platonic Ideas. His mystical approach considers Platonic Ideas as Divine Attributes and Archetypes. Finally, in a religious approach, he relies on some verses of the Quran in which the origin of corporeal things is said to be the abstract, heavenly universe. Mulla Sadra considers the relationship between Ideas and corporeal existence extensively. The ontological relation of causality and the epistemological relation of imitation are emphasized. This chapter considers some basic aspects of Mulla Sadra’s interpretation of Platonic Ideas and highlights some of its philosophical, religious, and practical innovations.