A Comparative-Critical Study of the Ontological Foundations and Requirements of “Self-Transcendence Need” in the Thought of Abraham Maslow and Mulla Sadra

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 PhD Student, Department of Islamic Philosophy and Theology, Faculty of Theology and Islamic Studies, Shiraz University, shiraz, Iran

2 Associate Professor, Department of Islamic Philosophy and Theology, Faculty of Theology and Islamic Studies, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran.

3 Assistant Professor, Department of Islamic Philosophy and Theology, Faculty of Theology and Islamic Studies, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran

Abstract

The fundamental issue of this research is the exploration of the ontological foundations of self-transcendence in the thought systems of Maslow and Mulla Sadra, with a focus on the principles of the degrees of reality and gradational unity. The aim is to uncover the implications that are significant for developing a transcendental philosophy and a perfectionistic psychology. This study, drawing on epistemological criteria of coherence and, in some cases, foundationalism, as well as employing a comparative-critical method with the use of deductive reasoning and historical analysis, concludes that the principle of the degrees of reality, also known as the principle of continuity in Maslow's theory, which is derived from the metaphysics of Plotinian Bergsonism, connects with the principle of complementarity of Bohr and the principle of uncertainty of Heisenberg, tying into Whitehead’s metaphysical principle of discontinuity. This integration leads Maslow’s concept of self-transcendence to encompass not only a collective and other-centered aspect but also an individual, elitist, and self-centered dimension. However, the gradational unity in Mulla Sadra's system, emphasizing the primacy of existence, which eradicates multiplicities, replaces the discrete, particle-like image of existence’s elements with a continuous, wave-like extension of the world’s components. This shifts self-transcendence from an individual and autonomous matter to a collective, deterministic, and other-dependent phenomenon. Although Mulla Sadra, due to his awareness of the internal contradictions within the principle of gradational unity, turns away from traditional causality and halts the process of ascendant movement by presenting the theory of existential poverty and the pursuit of personal unity, he still, considering the implications of the principle of perfection, portrays self-transcendence as inherent in both human beings and the world. He imbues the theory of existential poverty and ascendant movement with an epistemological dimension.

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References

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Philosophy and Kalam
Volume 57, Issue 2
February 2025
Pages 447-469

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