Conflict or Hope: A Dialogue between Tragic Existence and Wayfaring Being

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Ph.D. in philosophy, Department of Islamic Philosophy and Theology, Faculty of Theology and Ahl-al-Bayt (Prophet's Descendants) Studies, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran.

2 Associate Professor, Department of Islamic Philosophy and Theology, Faculty of Theology and Ahl-al-Bayt (Prophet's Descendants) Studies, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran .

Abstract

This article explores the inseverable link between ontology and anthropology through a comparative dialogue between the conflict-based metaphysics of Schelling and the unity-centered philosophy of Mulla Sadra. The fundamental answer each provides to the problem of "unity and multiplicity" gives rise to two distinct destinies for the "human condition" and two different modes of ethical life. In Schelling's system, the "active Ground" is the source of positive evil and inherent conflict. This metaphysics culminates in a "Tragic Existence," where humanity is locked in a relentless struggle with evil within the abyss of freedom, and ethics becomes a dreadful act of decision-making. Conversely, Sadrian philosophy regards evil as privative, arising from "passive quiddity". This perspective leads to a "Wayfaring Being," a hopeful sojourner advancing toward perfection via "substantial motion," for whom ethics is a purifying ascetic discipline. The research demonstrates that this fateful divergence stems from a core metaphysical choice: whether to conceive of the principle of limitation (Schelling's Ground versus Sadra's quiddity) as a positive force or a privative one. This foundational ontological decision is shown to directly determine two different understandings of freedom, ethics, and ultimately, human destiny.

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References

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