A Comparative Study of the Results of Spinoza's Theory of Self-preservation and Allamah Tabatabaei's Theory of Fiṭrah

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

• Hosein Esfandiari ¹
• Hamid Karimi ²
• Mahdi mohamaz zadeh ³

¹ M.A graduate from College of Farabi, Tehran University

² Iran University of Science and Technology

³ Farhangian University of Qazvin

10.22067/philosophy.v51i2.72345

Abstract

In his book "Ethics", Spinoza uses the law of self-preservation to explain the intellectual life of man and his freedom of choice. According to this law, "everything has in itself a striving to preserve its existence." The importance of this law becomes clear in shaping the moral system and achieving the ultimate goal of "human happiness", which is Spinoza's main purpose of his philosophical endeavor.  Based on the theory of self-preservation, concepts such as freedom of will, free choice, happiness and virtue find new explanations. On the other side, Allamah Tabatabaei establishes his social theory by proposing the theory of Fiṭrah (human nature), and then considers the way of life derived from Fiṭrah or the Fiṭrī (natural) religion based on the special "existential structure" of human. By acting in accordance with natural religion and in the light of intellectual life, the human will reach the good life. Finally, the concept of human choice and freedom finds a new meaning based on Fiṭrah in this theory. In this article, with an analytical-comparative method, an attempt has been made to examine the views of the two philosophers and their common and different approaches in terms of the results of the two philosophical traditions.

Keywords

• Maintenance of one's Essence
• Self-preservation
• Fiṭrah
• Choice
• Freedom and Subjection
• Happiness

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