حکمت سینوی (Sep 2022)
The Relationship Between Existence and Quiddity in the New-Peripatetic School of Hakim Rajab Ali Tabrizi
Abstract
Rajab Ali Tabrizi is considered the third systematic philosopher in the Isfahan School of Philosophy, following in the footsteps of Mirdamad and MollaSadra. He founded a New-Peripatetic school by offering a fresh interpretation of key Peripatetic ideas and reevaluating their terminology. Tabrizi engaged deeply with the pressing philosophical issues of his time, particularly the crucial matter of ‘the relationship between existence and quiddity.’ He challenged the viewpoints of MollaSadra and Mirdamad, relying on his unique understanding of ‘quiddity qua quiddity’ and ‘descriptive existence.’ Tabrizi rejected the notion of considering any pair of existence and quiddity as unoriginal, advocating for the generation of quiddity in the presentation of existence. According to his perspective, this approach resulted in the concrete combination of things from both existence and quiddity. Given that this idea has not been sufficiently elucidated in the limited contemporary research on the subject, this article aims to clarify the ambiguities surrounding Tabrizi’s theory. We do this by exploring the philosophical roots of Tabrizi’s perspective within the context of Avicenna’s philosophy and conducting a detailed analysis of the foundational principles underpinning his views on this contentious issue. To achieve this goal, we will address questions that arise, such as the relationship between the principle of subordination and the external presentation of existence on the quiddity. Additionally, we will explore the use of ‘principal and subsidiary’ instead of ‘original and unoriginal’ terminology by Tabrizi’s students. Finally, the research will conclude by aligning the general, specific, and special meanings of the complementary concepts of ‘originality’ and ‘unoriginality’ with Tabrizi’s stance on existence and quiddity.
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