ভূমিকা

Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books Faith and Reason Question 44: Existence of spirits within animals and its differnce from that of the Human Being Question: Do animals possess souls and if so how does the animal soul differ from the human soul? This question will be considered in the light of Sadrian philosophy, i.e., Transcendent Theosophy.

In the numerous works by Mulla Sadra and the subsequent philosophers who espoused his philosophy, there are numerous allusions and in some cases detailed expositions of the question in hand in the chapters dealing with the topics of soul, Resurrection, knowledge, and comprehension. The material prepared for this question will be presented under two main headings and five shorter sections. The essay will then end with the topic of the difference between the human soul and the animal soul.

Brief Answer Before embarking on the answer to this question, it must be noted that the answer provided below is based on the school of Transcendent Theosophy, i.e., Sadrian philosophy. In this light, the answer will be expounded under two main headings and several subtopics.

Under the first heading, “The Existence of Spirit in Animals”, the following topics will be examined: In all philosophical discussions pertaining to the question of the spirit, animal spirit is always enumerated as an indubitable instance of spirit. However, obviously the various forms of spirit possess their own peculiarities which distinguish them from one another.

What comprises the essence of an animal is its animal spirit, and to imagine the animal without an animal spirit would be to downgrade it to the lower degree of existence—i.e., vegetable existence. In several animals, such as the honey bee, the spider, etc., the signs of an indwelling spirit are clearly noticeable.

Scholars provide various sorts of evidence for the existence of animal spirit—among them: the presential knowledge of animals of their own essences, the role that will plays in animal behaviour, the resurrection of animal spirits in the Hereafter. The fact that animals can comprehend imaginal and immaterial forms and the performance by them of varying dissimilar actions.

The topics covered in the second heading, “The Difference between the Animal and the Human Spirit”, are as follows: Human nature is different from animal nature. The material components of the human body are relatively finer and more perfect.