Comparison of the Relationship between Freedom and Development in the Thought of Ayatollah Mesbah Yazdi and Amartya Sen

Subject Areas : Iranian Sociological Review

Ebrahim Kazemi ¹ , Mohammad Mahdi Naderi ^{2 *} , Rahmatollah Amirahmadi ³

1 - Ph.D. Student in Contemporary Philosophy, Sabzevar Branch, Islamic Azad University, Sabzevar, Iran
2 - Department of Philosophy, AZ.C., Islamic Azad University, Azadshahr, Iran
3 - Department of Sociology, AZ.C., Islamic Azad University, Azadshahr, Iran

Received: 2025-07-18 Accepted : 2025-09-25 Published : 2025-10-09

Keywords: Freedom, Development, Ayatollah Mesbah Yazdi, Amartya Sen,

Abstract :

This study, with the aim of comparing the relationship between freedom and development in the thought of Ayatollah Mesbah Yazdi and Amartya Sen, was conducted using a descriptive-analytical method. The findings indicated that in the thought of Mesbah Yazdi and Amartya Sen, freedom and development are interconnected, yet in their perspectives this connection is accompanied by different emphases and interpretations. Mesbah regards freedom essentially as liberation from servitude to tyrants and worship of other than God; thus, he does not accept freedom in the Western liberal sense, but acknowledges it within the framework of the Islamic system. He considers freedom as an important value, but not an ultimate goal, and believes that it must be defined within the framework of ethics and religious teachings. For Mesbah, development is also seen as a means to achieve transcendent and spiritual goals, such as human felicity and perfection. However, Amartya Sen considers development as a process in which individuals’ real freedoms are expanded, and more opportunities and capabilities for choice and participation in life are provided. He believes that freedom is both a tool and an end of development. In other words, development is a process through which people gain greater freedoms in choosing, living, acting, and participating in society. Sen also holds that overcoming developmental challenges requires the formal recognition of individual freedoms. For him, development is essentially the expansion of freedoms, and its ultimate aim is the removal of unfreedoms and the increase of human choice.

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