| A long tradition of Islamic metaphysics saw one
of its greatest flowerings in the writings of Sadr al-Din Shirazi,or Mulla Sadra
(1571-1640). His work was taken up in the 19th century by Hadi Ibn Mahdi
Sabzawari, and this rich metaphysical tradition supposedly has lasted in Iran until the
present. See Christianity in the Crucible,
Chapter 6. The metaphysics of Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) has striking similarities with that of Mulla Sadra, and it has developed and produred in the Christian west ever since the 13th century. But these two metaphysical traditions have never really encountered one another. Is there still interest in Iran in the work of Mulla Sadra and Sabzawari? Are there metaphysicians in the line of Mulla Sadra who would like to carry on a dialogue with metaphysicians from the tradition of Thomas Aquinas? This is a wonderful opportunity that should not be missed. |