Philosophy

Philosophy

“Self” in Suhrawardi: Methodological Analysis

Document Type : Research Paper

Author
sohrab haghighat
philosophy, theology, shahid madani of azarbaijan
10.22059/jop.2024.361860.1006787
Abstract
The discovery of "Self", the essence of “Self’ and the relationship between man and "Self" have a special place in the philosophy of illumination. The main issue in this article is how Suhrawardi discovers "self" and what is his mechanism in self-analysis? In order to reach Suhrawardi's answer, we have distinguished between two types of ontological and epistemological encounters with "self". In the ontological confrontation, man achieves the existential truth through self-analysis and makes this existential matter the basis of his entire metaphysical system, as we see in Ibn Sina's philosophical system. But from Suhrawardi's point of view, the human encounter in the discovery of "self" is epistemological. In the epistemological encounter with "self", the first finding of man is something that constantly appears to him, and according to the identity of appearance and perception, man's discovered is consciousness, and as a result, "self" is consciousness. Consciousness that is the basis of the philosopher's entire knowledge system. Considering these kinds of encounter, in this article we have distinguished between three stages of self-analysis, i.e.  illuminated self-awareness, illuminated self-knowledge and illuminated self-improvement. In the stage of self-awareness, a reality beyond the material body is discovered in three ways. In the stage of self-knowledge, by distancing from the Peripatetics philosophers and relying on the phenomenological approach, we reach the fact that this non-material thing constantly appears to man, such a thing is pure light. In the stage of self-development, by establishing a dialectic between man and "self", the conclusion is reached that alienation is a contradictory thing. Therefore, suhrawardi’s illuminated self-analysis establishes a foundation for illumination epistemology both in its own philosophy and in the philosophies after it.
 
Keywords
Appearance
self-awareness
self-knowledge
self-improvement
Suhrawardi
Subjects
 
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Philosophy
Volume 22, Issue 1 - Serial Number 42
October 2024
Pages 245-263

  • Receive Date 09 July 2023
  • Revise Date 18 January 2024
  • Accept Date 30 October 2024