The relationship between pleasure and the meaning of life from the point of view of Aristotle and Mulla Sadra
Subject Areas : Intellectual explorationszahra ganjipour 1 , farajollah barati 2 , meysam amani 3
1 - PhD student of Islamic Philosophy and Theology, Ahvaz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Ahvaz, Iran.
2 - Associate Professor of Philosophy, Ahvaz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Ahvaz, Iran
3 - Assistant Professor, Department of Islamic Studies, Ahvaz Islamic Azad University, Ahvaz, Iran
Keywords: Pleasure, Meaning of Life, Happiness, Aristotle, Mulla Sadra,
Abstract :
One of the fundamental concerns of humanity since its inception has been the question of the meaning of life. Meaningfulness has two connotations: purposefulness and value. Certainly, the meaning of the meaning of life depends on the type of worldview and perspective of each philosopher. The present research seeks to examine the answer to the question of whether pleasure is related to meaningfulness or not. Does pleasure require pleasure to achieve the meaning of life? This research compares and contrasts the theories of Aristotle and Mulla Sadra on the relationship between pleasure and the meaning of life. In this article, the descriptive-analytical method is used to analyze the concepts. The most important philosophical bases that distinguish and differ between these two philosophers are the question of equivocation of existence. Aristotle does not believe in the equivocation of existence. From Aristotle's point of view, pleasure and happiness are a constant for all human beings and he does not believe in different levels of pleasure. He considers happiness to be limited to this world and exclusive to the rational part of man. He considers the way to reach meaning to be limited to the realm of virtue. However, Mulla Sadra, based on the principle of equivocation of existence, believes that pleasure has different levels, with intellectual pleasure being superior to sensory pleasure and being higher in terms of rank and existential dignity than the world of sense and matter. Mulla Sadra considers happiness to be related to the physical and spiritual dimensions, so Mulla Sadra believes in comprehensive happiness. He considers the way to reach meaning to be wisdom, imagination, and inner forces. He considers the way to reach happiness to be a human voluntary action. He considers the true example of happiness to be in the afterlife.
