Outlining Sadrian (Ṣadrā‘ī) Environmental Ethics Based on "Gradual Perfection" and the "Concomitance of Existence to Perfection"

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 PhD student, Transcendent Wisdom, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Iran

2 Associate Professor Department of Islamic Philosophy Faculty of Theology Ferdowsi University Of Mashhad

10.22081/nir.2026.54534.1134

Abstract

Today, one of the most important threats to the life of mankind is the negligence of the environment, which, along with the increasing acceleration of technology, has fueled and intensified environmental crises. In the meantime, many scholars have offered solutions, among which the ethical approach may be considered the most effective. The ethical principles governing the relationship between human beings and nature, as a theoretical framework, can play a decisive role in redefining and organizing this relationship. The authors of this article, using a descriptive-analytical method, collecting and analyzing relevant data and evidence, and emphasizing the two fundamental concepts of “gradual perfection” and “concomitance of existence to perfection,” explain environmental ethics in the intellectual system of Ṣadr al-Muta’allihīn and try to answer the question as to whether a fundamental solution can be found for the environmental crises based on Sadrian principles. According to the findings of this research, the environment is considered as one of the levels of existence. Considering the principle of gradual perfection (gradational levels of existence) and the principle of the concomitance of existence and perfection, at every level of existence, perfections are the same as existence and inseparable from it. Therefore, from the perspective of Ṣadr al-Muta’allihīn, the environment also enjoys perfections commensurate with its level due to its position in the hierarchy of existence. This view proves the existential alignment and affinity of humans and the environment and ultimately outlines the “Sadrian theory of environmental ethics”; a theory that can serve as a useful and efficient guiding model in facing environmental challenges.

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References

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