| dc.description.abstract | The aim of this thesis is to analyse the development of the proof of the veracious in Muslim philosophy, from its early formulation in Ibn Sīnā’s notion of the judgement of the veracious to its evolution in Mullā Ṣadrā’s thinking and, ultimately, the way in which it was further refined in the late twentieth century by Ṭabāṭabāʾī. The thesis will demonstrate the way in which Mullā Ṣadrā reoriented the debate away from the dominant preoccupation with essence, necessity, and contingency and the need to refute the ad infinitum, and situated the nature of existence itself as the object of enquiry. In so doing, the thesis will show how Mullā Ṣadrā avoids making recourse to the middle term and to the syllogistic reasoning which ultimately frustrated Ibn Sīnā’s claim to have achieved a true judgement of the veracious. This thesis is not simply concerned with examining Mullā Ṣadrā’s answer to a given philosophical problem. Indeed, Mullā Ṣadrā’s work constitutes a reshaping of Muslim philosophy itself. This thesis will seek to show how Mullā Ṣadrā offered a new way of classifying proofs, transforming philosophy by liberating it from the strict processes of logic, physics, and metaphysics by framing his theorising as a spiritual journey composed of the wayfarer (sālik), the way (maslak), and the aim (maqṣad). In this way, Mullā Ṣadrā shifts Muslim philosophy away from its Peripatetic inheritance and towards an understanding of philosophical thinking as a profoundly mystical and self-conscious endeavour. In order to demonstrate the enduring influence not only of Ibn Sīnā and Mullā Ṣadrā, but also the concept of the proof of the veracious in its own right, this thesis will also show how all three have been the subject of a wealth of interpretation, scholarship, and debate. Indeed, one of the final—though no less central—aims of this thesis will be to defend Ṭabāṭabāʾī against accusations that he merely imitates Mullā Ṣadrā. This thesis will demonstrate that the proof of the veracious remains a vitally important concept in the study of Muslim philosophy and the history of its development, by showing how Ṭabāṭabāʾī offers a new argument on the proof of the veracious that builds upon and advances the work of Mullā Ṣadrā. | en_GB |
