Abstract:
The main issue of this paper is to examine the relationship between Henri Corbin's comparative wisdom and Ram Adhar Mall's intercultural philosophy. Using a comparative approach, this study aims to first describe the viewpoints of both parties and then analytically search for the real distinctions and similarities between them, ultimately drawing outcomes that contribute to the current state of comparative philosophy in Iran.
In contemporary Iran, Henri Corbin, through his spiritual and transhistorical dialogues in the "Eighth Climate" (an allusion to the Persian philosophical tradition), has seriously introduced the concept of comparative wisdom with the method of "hermeneutic phenomenology" or "Kashf-u al-Mahjub (The Unveiling of the Hidden)".
The comparative wisdom envisioned by Henri Corbin is based on theosophy and the alignment of spiritual experiences within the realm of the heavenly domain. As the founder of the first intercultural philosophy circle in the world, Ram Adhar Mall has reached an Indian interpretation of intercultural philosophy using a method based on proportional hermeneutics and descriptive phenomenology. This approach represents an ethical stance or commitment with a liberating attitude from Eurocentrism and any form of centrism. In this context, he also maintains comparative philosophy alongside it.
A comparison of the nature of comparative philosophy from the perspective of these two thinkers, both of whom have discussed it, reveals that while they share common ground in rejecting Eurocentrism, emphasizing the potential of Eastern cultures (Iran and India), and valuing dialogue, they differ in their approaches. Their paths diverge with two contrasting trajectories between East and West, particularly in aspects such as the relationship between philosophy and culture, spiritual or macrocosmic dialogue in the Nagasena sense, and the distinctions or similarities between them. One has arrived at a transcultural approach and the concept of "conformity" in comparative spiritual wisdom, while the other has focused on "proportionality" in making philosophy intercultural.
Elements such as the attention of philosophy to culture, intercultural philosophical dialogue, being in the middle and rejecting self-centeredness, and the acceptance and understanding of the philosophical Other in their thoughts can serve as a guiding framework for comparative philosophy in the present time.