The Eye and Existence: Reflections on the Ocularcentric Perception of the Ontological Truths of Things in Conventional Islamic Philosophy

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Associat Professor of Yasouj University

2 .Student of Philosophy- Yasouj University

3 M.A. of Islamic Philosophy and Theology- Yasouj University

10.22061/orj.2025.2305

Abstract

In Muslim philosophical tradition, true knowledge of entities (external or mental) is acquired either through the abstraction of natural universals or the contemplation of Platonic forms. While vision is often esteemed as the noblest sense, it remains an external faculty, with the eye serving merely as a tool for perceiving visual phenomena. Yet, the pervasive role of the visual—termed here as "بیناییدن" (seeing)—in descriptions of perceiving existential truths, whether metaphorical or direct, is undeniable. This essay explores the inseparable link between vision and the perception of truths, focusing on the visually oriented process of grasping intelligible essences in the realm of ideas and natural universals. After briefly examining Plato’s and Aristotle’s paradigmatic views, the study investigates the concept of "بیناییدن" in Islamic philosophy. Using a thought experiment that assumes a blind theorist, it examines how the absence of vision alters the perception of existential truths. The study concludes that these methods of perceiving true entities remain deeply tied to the dominance of vision. Simultaneously, it proposes a visually oriented idealism at the epistemological level, suggesting that pure ontology—understanding existence as it is—without presupposing vision, is difficult, if not impossible. This highlights the profound influence of vision on ontological and epistemological frameworks.

Keywords

References

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