The characteristics of the government in the philosophical system of Mulla Sadra

In political communities, the states have two basic functions: (a) establishing stable and permanent order and (b) achieving their goals. The former is the philosophy for the existence of all states, but the latter pertains to the goals defined for them by the political schools and philosophies. These goals range from removing the social sufferings, disadvantages, and discriminations to establishing social justice, observing the mutual rights in a society and fulfilling individual beneficial needs as well as public benefits and achieving felicity. Now, what are the functions of the state in Mulla Sadra's philosophical system? Considering Mulla Sadra's systemic attitude towards the man (descending-ascending to transcendence attitude) and towards the state, it is claimed that the state's functions in Mulla Sadra's political philosophy is realized when the members of the society pass through contrasting stage of individual benefits in the animal orders and the lower ranks towards rational orders and to the stage of the man's flowering and his existential promotion to the state of unity with God.  In this article, the researcher uses content analysis method to prove this claim through an investigation of Mulla Sadra's philosophical system and his political texts. The achievement of this study is to show how the demands of a divine philosophical system is distinguished in the functions of one state with another state, and how we can evaluate and review the function of the Islamic Republic of Iran with an awareness of the function of Mulla Sadra's favorite state.

Keywords:

State , state's function , Mulla Sadra's philosophical system , Mulla Sadra's political philosophy