Fārābī discusses two kinds of art: art as it is, and art as it should be – that is, utopian art. Art as it is contains desirable and undesirable aspects. But t utopian art, the art of the utopian artist, consists of only that which is desirable. With reference to this art, Fārābī explains how it brings goodness and happiness into the imagination, and moderates the feelings. Undesirable and wicked art is just the opposite; it corrupts thoughts, and inflames sensual (...) impulses. In Fārābī’s view, people come to comprehend intelligible truths and meanings through the use of their imagination. Furthermore, the arousal of people’s feelings and emotions often originates in the imagination, and is caused by imaginary forms. The ultimate utopian goal is for the public to achieve intelligible happiness. Given that the public, based on their nature and general habits, are unable to perceive intelligible truths, the path to intelligible happiness must be presented to them via the imagination. The utopian artist represents intelligible happiness through the use of sensory and imaginary forms; thus, he or she brings intelligible happiness to people's minds through their imagination. (shrink)

This paper discusses the life and philosophy of Mulla Sadra, one of the most important Muslim Iranian philosophers and founder of new school of Islamic philosophy, entitled Transcendent philosophy, in 5 sections: his life, what is the “Transcendent philosophy”, the 14 principles of Mulla Sadra’s philosophy, Mulla Sadra’s views on different schools of thought such as Ancient Metaphysicians, Greek and Muslim philosophers, and ‘Urafa,, and finally his writings. This is an original paper in the English language as it presents the (...) most important aspects of Mulla Sadra’s philosophy based directly on his various writings in Arabic language, such as Asfar, al-Shawahid al-rububiyya, al- Mabda’ wa l-Ma’ad, Arshiyyah, al-Masha'ir and Mafatih al- Ghayb. (shrink)