An Analysis of the Relationship between Humility and the Development of Knowledge from the Perspective of Islamic Philosophy (With Emphasis on Mulla Sadra's Viewpoint)

Darvishpor, Abdin; .karami, Mohammad

doi:10.22034/hpi.2025.535958.1158

An Analysis of the Relationship between Humility and the Development of Knowledge from the Perspective of Islamic Philosophy (With Emphasis on Mulla Sadra's Viewpoint)

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

abdin darvishpor ¹

mohammad .karami ²

¹ Associate Professor, Department of Philosophy and Theology, Lorestan University, Iran

² Associate Professor, Department of General Courses, Faculty of Medicine, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran.

10.22034/hpi.2025.535958.1158

Abstract

An Analysis of the Relationship between Humility and the Development of ‎Knowledge from the Perspective of Islamic Philosophy

‎ (With Emphasis on Mulla Sadra's Viewpoint)‎

Abstract

Humility, as a moral virtue, plays a fundamental role not only in the personal and spiritual realm ‎but also in the domain of knowledge and science. In Islamic philosophy, knowledge is regarded ‎as a dynamic and spiritual journey that requires the readiness of the soul to receive the truth. This ‎study focuses on the relationship between humility and the dynamism of science, aiming to ‎demonstrate that modesty is not a sign of weakness, but a vital condition for mental openness, ‎continuous error correction, and receptivity to higher levels of wisdom. Drawing upon the views ‎of Islamic philosophers, the article investigates how epistemic humility can contribute to the ‎flourishing of theoretical intellect and the advancement of scientific understanding. Ultimately, it ‎concludes that humility is not only an ethical prerequisite for scientific inquiry but also an ‎epistemic necessity in the process of the evolution of knowledge within the horizon of divine ‎wisdom‏.‏‎ This study adopts a philosophical-analytical method and a descriptive-explanatory ‎approach, examining key texts in Islamic philosophy. The data were collected through library ‎research and conceptually analyzed with a focus on themes such as self-knowledge, ontological ‎poverty, substantial motion of the soul, and intellectual humility‏.‏

Keywords: Humility, Evolution of Knowledge, Awareness of Ontological Poverty, Connection to the Active ‎Intellect, Substantial Motion of the Soul

Keywords

Keywords: Humility

Evolution of Knowledge

Awareness of Ontological Poverty

Connection to the Active ‎Intellect

Substantial Motion of the Soul

Subjects

Interdisciplinary studies

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