Islamic Art Studies

Islamic Art Studies

"From Sense to Intellect": An Epistemological Deliberation on the Levels of Creation and Perception of Architecture Based on the Views of Sadrian Wisdom

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Ali Amirishadmehri 1
Khosro Sahaf 1
Alireza Kohansal 2
1 Department of Art and Architecture, Mashhad Branch. Islamic Azad University, Mashhad, Iran
2 Department of Islamic Philosophy and Wisdom, Faculty of Theology and Islamic Studies, Ferdowsi University, Mashhad, Iran,
10.22034/ias.2025.512320.2415
Abstract
Epistemology has been defined as the explanation of the foundations of affirmations, meaning that a connection can be established between beliefs and truths. This matter is realized when the foundations of perception, the definition of truth, and the ways of attaining it are analyzed. Epistemological foundations differ across various schools of thought, and these differences have significant impacts on the epistemology of art and specifically architecture. The aim of the present research is to deliberate on the relationship between humans and architectural works in the two stages of creation and perception, based on the epistemological system of Sadrian Wisdom. Epistemology in Sadra's thought holds a special position due to its ontological roots. For Ṣadr al-Mutaʾallihīn, the soul (nafs), as the true perceiver, is considered a graded existence that is identical to perception. Within this framework, perception is defined as having levels ranging from the most material to the highest, which are briefly categorized from sensory apprehensions to intellectual and intuitive ones. This hierarchy of reception and perception for the possessor of the soul indicates a station in which each of these stations produces different effects at the stage of creation and serves as the source of different receptions at the level of perception. Regarding the necessity of the present research: explaining the epistemological foundations of Sadrian Wisdom, which has been the origin of the theoretical foundations of our traditional art and architecture, as well as paying attention to the fact that the methodology of our architectural studies falls under the epistemology of Western schools, which is one of the gaps in the theoretical foundations of our contemporary architecture. Explaining the epistemological foundations of authentic Iranian-Islamic architecture influenced by the foundations of Transcendent Philosophy (al-Ḥikmah al-Mutaʿāliyah) constitutes the general problem, and deliberating on the strategies for realizing these foundations constitutes the specific problem and aim of the research. The present research is a qualitative study of a theoretical-philosophical nature with a fundamental aim, employing an interpretive-descriptive approach in terms of data judgment and a content-library method in terms of data collection.
Research Objectives:


The main objective is to explain the epistemological foundations based on the views and ideas of Transcendent Philosophy.


A deliberation on the epistemology of architecture under the epistemological foundations of Sadrian thought; as well as explaining architectural manifestations based on the epistemological foundations of Transcendent Philosophy in valuable examples of Iranian-Islamic architecture.


Research Questions:


What are the epistemological foundations of Transcendent Philosophy? How are the human stations, in terms of knowledge, defined?


What effects does the existential level of the human being, in terms of understanding and reception, have at the stage of creation and perception of architectural works? What are the strategies and architectural examples that can elevate perceptions?
Keywords
Epistemology
Architecture
Mental and Objective Existence
Levels of Sense, Imagination, and Intellect
Subjects
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