Ma`rifat Falsafi

The discussion about the faculties of men and women is one of the topics that philosophers such as Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle have addressed in accordance with their political philosophy under titles such as "the city-state, citizenship, household management, and education." Muslim philosophers, while elaborating on the soul and its relation to faculties, have also made references to this issue. In this context, relying on Mulla Sadra’s innovations in treatment of faculties, especially the faculty of estimation (wahemeh) as well as unity of the soul and its faculties, and the like, and analyzing the ontological foundations of his philosophy, including the gradation of existence (tashkik al-wujud) and the personal unity of existence (wahdat al-wujud al-shakhsi), one can infer differences in faculties based on gender. This issue applies to the vegetative, animal, and human faculties alike. The primary faculty of a human being is the faculty of intellect (‘aql). At first glance, based on Mulla Sadra’s explanations regarding intellect, it may seem that he does not distinguish between men and women in the process of intellectual development, which might suggest an equality of faculties between the two genders. However, from his explicit statements about women and his philosophical foundations, it becomes evident that he believed in such a distinction. Using a library-based and analytical method, this article seeks to clarify this difference in Mulla Sadra’s thought.