Studying and Analyzing the Origins and Consequences of the Division of Knowledge into Simple and Compound in Mulla Sadra’s Philosophy

Document Type : Original Article

Abstract
One of the divisions of knowledge proposed in Mulla Sadra’s Philosophy is its division to simple and compound. In his philosophy,this division corresponds to the same division of ignorance. As he occasionally addresses in his works, simple knowledge is a kind of knowledge in which someone knows something without being conscious of his knowledge and its object, while compound knowledge is a kind of knowledge in which the knower knows something and is conscious of his knowledge and its object. In this paper, in the context of discovery we have used the method of content analysis and in the context of justification the method of conceptual and rational analysis of ontological and epistemological foundations. Our aim is to answer this main question that what is simple and compound Knowledge, and what are the origins and capacities of this division, based on Mulla Sadra’s philosophical bases. We have shown that although this division is one of Mulla Sadra's innovations, its roots are found in Avicenna’s thought, specifically the distinction he makes between consciousness and consciousness of consciousness. In the second part, it has been presented that this division has capabilities to explain some of the most important philosophical topics, including the innate knowledge (ilm fetri) and the knowledge of corporeal beings. Besides, this division has the capacity for conducting comparative philosophical studies in some areas related to the consciousness studies in the contemporary philosophy of mind, including the levels of self-consciousness and the difference between conscious and unconscious mental states.
Keywords
simple knowledge
compound knowledge
innate knowledge
knowledge of corporeal beings
levels of consciousness
unconsciousness
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