Dear friends, Mulla Sadra’s ontological argument for the existence of God ( My summarization) could be simply defeated through defeating the Characterisation Principle, but I’m eager to know how its first premiss (Graduated Levels of Existence) could be defeated. I will be grateful if you let me know how to defeat the premiss one. *** I’ve just read a defective summarization of Mulla Sadra’s ontological argument on Stanford online encyclopedia of philosophy, but I think the following translation and Mesbah’s summarization are better than Rizvi’s. Mulla Sadra’s ontological argument : “As it has already been said, existence is a single, objective and simple reality, and there is no difference between its parts, unless in terms of perfection and imperfection, strength and weakness… And the culmination of its perfection, where there is nothing more prefect, is its independence from any other thing. Nothing more perfect should be conceivable, as every imperfect thing belongs to another thing and needs to become perfect. And, as it has already been explicated, perfection is prior to imperfection, actuality to potency, and existence to non-existence. Also, it has been explained that the perfection of a thing is the thing itself, and not a thing in addition to it. Thus, either existence is independent of others, or it is in need of others. The former is the Necessary, which is pure existence. Nothing is more perfect than Him. And in Him there is no room for non-existence or imperfection. The latter is other than Him, and is regarded as His acts and effects, and for other than Him there is no subsistence, unless through Him. For there is no imperfection in the reality of existence, and imperfection is added to existence only because of the quality of being caused, as it is impossible for an effect to be identical with its cause in terms of existence. Therefore, if existence is not created through the creation of a creator, who has brought it into being and realized it, it cannot be imagined, and there is a sort of deficiency in it. Because, as you know, the reality of existence is simple, and for it there is no limit and determination, except pure acquisition and actuality. Otherwise, there should be combinations in it, or it has a quiddity other than its being. Also, as has been said, if existence is caused (the effect), it is essentially created through a simple creation, and its essence is in need of a creator and depends on its creator for its essence and substance. Thus it is proved and explained that existence is either perfect in terms of reality, necessity and essence, or essentially in need of a reality on which its substance depends. And in either case it is proved and explained that the existence of the Necessary Being is essentially needless of a cause…and this is what we sought to prove.” Mesbah’s summarization of Mulla Sadra’s argument: The levels of existence—except for its highest level, which possesses infinite perfection and absolute needlessness and independence—are the very relation and dependence itself, and if the highest level did not occur, neither would the other levels, because what is implied by the assumption of the occurrence of the other levels without the occurrence of the highest level of existence is that the mentioned levels would be independent and without need of it, while their existential aspect is the relation itself and poverty and need. My summarization of Mulla Sadra’s argument: 1. The levels of existence—except for its highest level, which possesses infinite perfection and absolute needlessness and independence—are the very dependence; 2. if the highest level of existence did not occur, neither would the other levels of existence; ( 1) 3. But, the other levels of existence occurred. 4. So, there exists the highest level of existence An Argument for Graduated Levels of Existence by Mulla Sadra, restated by Mesbah (Premiss 1) “The argument is composed of premises which are proved in the section on cause and effect, and perhaps this has prevented it from being discussed in this context [pertaining to the grades of existence]. However, due to its importance we shall mention these premises as something given, while they will be proven in their own proper place. The first premise is that there is a cause and effect relation among existents, and there is no existent which falls outside of the chain of causes and effects. Of course, only ‘being a cause’ (‘illiyyah; lit., ‘causehood’) is attributed to the existent at the head of the chain, and only ‘being an effect’ (ma‘lūliyyah; lit., ‘effecthood’) is attributed to the existent at the end of the chain. In any case, no existent lacks both the relation of being a cause and of being an effect to any other existent, such that it is neither a cause nor an effect of something. The second premise is that the entified existence of an effect is not independent of the existence of its creating cause. It is not true that each of them possesses an independent existence, and that they are joined by means of a relation external to their existences; rather, the existence of an effect has no sort of independence whatsoever from its creating cause. In other words, it is the very relation and dependence on its cause, not something independent which has a relation with its cause, as is observed in the relation between an act of will and the soul. This topic is the noblest of all philosophical topics, and it has been established by the late Ṣadr al-Muta’allihīn. By means of it he has opened a way to the solution of many philosophical perplexities. Truly, it must be considered one of the most eminent and exquisite fruits of Islamic philosophy. From the addition of these two premises the conclusion is obtained that the existence of all effects in relation to their creating cause, and ultimately to the sacred divine Being, which is the source of emanation of all existences other than Itself, is that very dependence. All creatures are in reality manifestations of the Divine existence. In accordance with their own levels they possess intensity and weaknesses, priority and posteriority, and some of them are relatively independent of others; but absolute independence is reserved for the sacred Divine Essence. Thus, the whole of being is composed of a chain of entified existences, in which the ‘strength’ (qiwām) of each link, with regard to its level of existence in relation to it, is more limited and weaker than that of the link above. This same weakness and limitation is the criterion for being an effect. [The chain continues upward] until it reaches the source of being which is of unlimited intensity of existence and which encompasses all the levels of contingency, and sustains the existence of all of them. There is no existent which is independent and without need of It in any aspect or facet, but rather they are all poor, needy and dependent on Him. By this existential relation is meant a special sort of unity which negates the independence of every existent except the Holy Divine Existence, and the concept of which only applies to entified existence and is naturally based upon the fundamentality of existence. When one considers independent being, it will have no other instance than the infinite Divine Being. For this reason independent being must be considered unitary, and this is a unity which is not susceptible to multiplicity. For this reason it is called ‘true unity’ (waḥdat-e ḥaqqah). When one turns one’s attention to the levels of existence and its manifestations, multiplicity is attributed to them; however, at the same time a kind of unity must be admitted among them. For since the effect is not the cause, it cannot be considered a second to it, but rather must be considered as being sustained by the cause, and an aspect from among the aspects of the cause and a manifestation among its manifestations. By their ‘union’ (ittiḥād) is meant that in the context of its own being, one has no independence in relation to the other, although the expression ‘union’ (ittiḥād) is vague and inadequate, and the proper meaning of it is not commonly discerned, and this leads to misunderstandings. It is obvious without further comment that this exposition does not negate the multiplicity of existences at the same level in some links of the chain, such as the natural universe, and this does not require that individuals of one or several whatnesses of the same degree differ in their grades [of being]; rather the differences among them are to be considered distinctions with the entirety of their simple existences.”
Posted on: Thu, 30 Oct 2014 19:55:20 +0000
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