From the Leap of Faith to the Journey of Perfection: Criticism of Kierkegaard's Three Spheres of the Meaning of Life according to Mulla Sadra's Substantial Motion

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Assistant Professor, Department of Theology and Islamic Studies, Imam Ali Military University, Tehran, Iran

2 Assistant Professor, Department of Islamic Education, Shahid Sattari University, Tehran, Iran

prt/prt.2026.74136.1026

Abstract

Søren Kierkegaard poses the question of the meaning of life not in the form of an abstract philosophical system, but as a passionate call to authentic living. In his thought, man is a being who is always on the verge of a choice, and the meaning of his life depends on an existential leap from one ontological sphere to another. Kierkegaard outlines this path in three spheres or stages: the aesthetic sphere, the moral sphere, and the religious sphere. Each stage represents a distinct way of being in the world, and the passage through them is not an automatic historical process, but an inner, risky, and anxiety-ridden choice. The present article attempts to explain the meaning of life in these three spheres and criticize it from Mulla Sadra's perspective by using a descriptive-analytical method. From Mulla Sadra's perspective, the meaning of life lies neither in a pure break in faith nor in a pure moral continuity, but rather in the connection of the two: faith as the culmination of the existential journey, and the existential journey as the background and prerequisite of faith.

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Main Subjects

Philosophical Theology
Volume 1, Issue 2 - Serial Number 2
August 2026
Pages 98-119

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History

  • Receive Date: 27 May 2026
  • Revise Date: 23 June 2026
  • Accept Date: 26 July 2026

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