An Analysis of the Ontology of the Collective Spirit in Light of Management of the Collective Faculties, with Reference to the Agency–Structure Problem in Sadrian Philosophy

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Armin Mansouri

Assistant professor, University of Tabriz

10.22067/epk.2025.93419.1441

Abstract

The relationship between agency and structure has long been a subject of extensive debate throughout the history of philosophy. Once the agency–structure problem is addressed by affirming the reality of structure—and, consequently, by positing the existence of a collective spirit—it becomes necessary to theorize about the mode of being, the manner of realization, and the constitutive principles of the collective spirit. Such an exposition lays the groundwork for subsequent theoretical developments in the philosophy of social sciences. In this study, the author seeks, first, to survey the views of major theorists in this field; second, to extract the Sadrian position on agency and structure; and third, in light of this position, to offer an account of the collective spirit. The findings of this research indicate the following: (1) the collective spirit does not come into existence as an independent entity in the external world; however, this does not entail the rejection of the collective spirit altogether. Rather, the collective spirit is a particular mode of being that human souls acquire through collective life. (2) A society endowed with a collective spirit is realized only when the social order is grounded on intellect and rational faculties as constituents of the human soul. (3) The Transcendent City (Madīnah Mutāʿāliyyah) is precisely the society that emerges from the realization of the collective spirit—one that comes into being through the presence of the position of walāyah and through the management of the collective faculties (mudīriyyat jamʿ al-quwā) exercised by the authority of walāyah within a community formed by human souls.

Keywords

Agency

Structure

Collective Spirit

Management of the Collective Faculties (Mudīriyyat Jamʿ al-Quwā)

Walāyah

Subjects

• Islamic Philosophy and Kalam

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Authors retain the copyright and full publishing rights. This is an open access article distributed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).

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