Historical Background of the Theory of Corporeal Resurrection in Mīr Dāmād’s Philosophy
Subject Areas : Geneology of philosophical schools and Ideas
1 - Assistance Professor, Department of Philosophy of Humanities, Research Institute of Hawzeh and University, Qom, Iran
Keywords: corporeal resurrection, natural corporeal resurrection, Mīr Dāmād , Identity of body, principiality of quiddity,
Abstract :
All divine religions and several realist philosophical systems attach great importance to explaining resurrection as a truth. The historical study of this point from different aspects in Islamic philosophy can result in the emergence of a number of new wonders for researchers in the field of philosophy. Based on the general view, the theory of corporeal resurrection in philosophy began with Mullā Ṣadrā. However, according to the proofs presented in this paper, Mīr Dāmād is one of the thinkers who not only discussed spiritual resurrection but also spoke of the quality of corporeal resurrection. This indicates that the theory of corporeal resurrection based on philosophical principles dates back to the time before Mullā Ṣadrā particularly because the corporeal resurrection that Mīr Dāmād believes in is not actualized with purgatorial or Ideal body but with the human natural body. In another place, he calls this kind of resurrection “revivification of bodies”. Nevertheless, what is important here is the philosophical elements that Mīr Dāmād employs to explain this kind of resurrection in his own philosophical system, including his division of different bodily modes and the quality of the soul’s unity with each of these modes. He also states that at the time of death, a part of this unity is broken but the body’s relation with the soul is not completely severed. This is the criterion for the return of the soul to the body and corporeal resurrection.