Muhammad Husayn Tabataba'i

This post is written primarily to prepare for the exam and therefore will be mainly be a summary of the lecture on Muhammad Husayn Tabataba’i. I will reflect on the main topics try to make brief comparisons with other philosophers we learned about. 

Tabataba’i was a great Iranian thinker and polymath who lived in the 20th century, a time when the influence of materialism was growing. He highlighted the importance of philosophy as a toolkit. 

He favored the homology approach which he thought of like the human mind and suggest that one should work interdisciplinary. Because that’s how knowledge works, different fields inform each other and expands one’s comprehension of both a single topic and the topics together. 

An anthropologist who has not trained himself in philosophical thinking whatsoever, is prone to errors when drawing conclusions. A therapist has to consider the cross-cultural differences when dealing with his/her consultants, and should have knowledge of at least some history, sociology, and philosophy of course so that he/she has a sound basis of his/her understanding of things. Otherwise, we will be limiting ourselves and narrowing our perspective; and this will not only have influence on our job, but on our mindset as well. 

Tabataba’i argued that everything (both existent and non-existent) should lead us to believe that there is existence, things we sense, feel, our actions, even doubts. He argued that one’s doubt of existence even is an act of existence. One cannot not exist and doubt existence. The doubt itself should be considered a proof of existence. And he believed without recognizing this, one cannot begin the journey of philosophy. (Philosophy is the study of reality, existence.). He believes that existence is a predicate. When one says ‘’I doubt existence’’ or ‘’This glass is huge,’’ for instance, one affirms their existences. Existence is the broadest category possible and includes everything within; it is all-pervading. It does have different degrees however, as Mulla Sadra asserted. 

Also, unlike many medieval philosophers, Tabataba'i argues that existence is not a property of things. It’s their very reality. When we think of a cup for example, we define it by its properties, characteristics. We mention its size, color, shape, and so on. Its existence, however, is not one of its components; it’s the very reality by virtue of that thing exists. 

Like Mulla Sadra, Tabataba’i believed that existence was ontologically prior to essence. 

Closely linked with his theory of being, Tabataba’i argued that knowledge is a mode of existence. When one knows more, she becomes more; and she is more intense ontologically. Knowledge is also an affirmation of existence. Tabataba’i discusses about two modes of knowledge: knowledge by acquisition and knowledge by presence (immediate knowledge). ‘Ilm husuli, knowledge by presence is knowledge that is learned, like driving, or mathematics. ‘Ilm huduri is immediate knowledge and is self-referential. Self-awareness is ‘ilm huduri, is immediately grasped. When one says has the notion of ‘’I’’, he affirms he exists. Mulla Sadra argued this kind of knowledge is existence. Ibn Sina argued for this and illustrated with the floating man thought experiment. I’m personally skeptical about whether self-awareness can be immediately grasped.