Philosophy and Kalam

Philosophy and Kalam

The Value of Nature in Transcendent Philosophy: Beyond the Intrinsic–Instrumental Dichotomy

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors
Homa Yousefi Koupaei 1
Janan Izadi 2
1 PhD Student, 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.
10.22059/jitp.2026.403730.523660
Abstract
The environmental issue is one of the fundamental problems facing contemporary humanity. The present study, employing a logical–analytic method, seeks to examine the status and value of nature from the perspective of Transcendent Philosophy (al Ḥikma al Mutaʿāliyah). The findings suggest that, from a Ṣadrian perspective, the classical dichotomy between intrinsic and instrumental value is inadequate for a comprehensive evaluation of nature. Grounded in the existential orientation of Transcendent Philosophy, its sign oriented (āyah based) worldview, Mullā Ṣadrā’s conception of human agency (faʿāliyya bi l ṣināʿa), and the central roles of love (ʿishq) and wisdom (ḥikma), additional modes of environmental value become intelligible. These include path oriented (sulūkī) value, value as way or means (ṭarīq), and the sign value (āyahness) of nature. From this standpoint, nature possesses a mediative or intermediary value that cannot be reduced to either intrinsic or instrumental categories. Anchored in the doctrines of the primacy of existence (aṣālat al wujūd) and the metaphysical principle of unity in multiplicity and multiplicity in unity, these value modalities ultimately converge within a unified ontological horizon. By articulating this framework, the article offers a philosophical foundation for reconfiguring environmental value beyond conventional dichotomies and for envisioning a more elevated, participatory mode of human engagement with nature.
Keywords
Transcendent Philosophy
Mullā Ṣadrā
environmental ethics
nature
value
love
Subjects

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Philosophy and Kalam
Volume 59, Issue 1
(Spring & Summer 2026)
September 2026
Pages 5-23