Abstract

Aristotle discusses the soul in itself in metaphysics, and as its relation to the body in physics. This issue originates in the division of sciences in Aristotle's works. The same trend continues in the works of the philosophers following him. Although Farabi presented a new classification of sciences, he maintained the main form of Aristotle's divisions and posed the related problems like him. Based on his fundamental theories, including the principiality of existence, gradation of being, and the trans-substantial motion, Mulla Sadra considers the soul to be corporeally originated and spiritually subsistent, criticizes early philosophers' ideas concerning the soul and its place, and offers a new interpretation of the soul. He could have removed the distinction between the stations of the essence of the soul and its relation and considered it to be a level of the body and a mode of existence at the beginning of its creation. Accordingly, he transfers the issues related to the soul from physics to metaphysics and contributes to the independence of the latter. Mulla Sadra believes that it is the responsibility of philosophers to discuss the soul, and, in addition to emphasizing the importance of this discussion, he maintains that the issue of providence is the link between the issues of the soul and the third journey. His definition of the soul and perception of philosophy and anthropology made it possible for Mulla Sadra to create some changes in the place of the soul and discuss it in metaphysics, which is something that the philosophers before him were not able to do. This paper deals with the effects and consequences of this issue.