ISLAMIC PHIL THEO [ALT ALSO AT]
Mulla Sadra on Actuality & Potentiality:
According to Mulla Sadra potentiality (quwa/isti’dad) is latent within the substance of an existent that may be converted into actuality (haqiqa) through motion or change in the substance of the object or thing (shay) which he refers to as substantial motion or change or “harkat-al-jauhariya”.
In other words it could be asserted that the manifestation of that which is potential (quwa/isti’dad) into actuality (haqiqa) is caused by substantial motion (harkat-al-jauhariya).
This manifested actuality (haqiqa) is the effect of substantial motion and change.
Mulla Sadra states that this actualization of latent potential represents a movement (haraka) towards perfection (kamal).
To seek this existential perfection (kamal) is the objective of every being (wujud).
Substantial motion (harkat-al-jauhariya) represents movement from potentiality towards actuality, from a state of imperfection to that of existential perfection.
This movement from potentiality to actuality, from imperfection to existential perfection is represented in Mulla Sadra’s concept of the soul, where he states that initially the soul that comes into being with the body is vegetative (nafs-e-nabatiya) in actuality but possesses the potential to become an animal soul (nafs-e-haywania), at birth the soul is animal (haywan) in actuality with the potential to become human (nafs-e-insania) and finally when the soul develops and matures it is human in actuality but possesses the potential to become either a devil or an angel (malak).
Every manifested actuality (haqiqa) was previously a potentiality (quwa/isti’dad) brought into existence through the process of substantial motion (harkat-al-jauhariya).
[X] . Islamic Philosophy and Theology . (X)
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