Two philosophical uses of the idea of

Taleqani, SayyedAli

doi:10.22059/jpht.2026.409554.1006181

Two philosophical uses of the idea of "principal components" (al-ajzāʾ al-aṣlīya) in Kalām (the Islamic theology)

Articles in Press

Document Type : Research Paper

Author

SayyedAli Taleqani

Assistant Professor, Department of Philosophy and Theology, Baqir al-Olum University, Qom, Iran

10.22059/jpht.2026.409554.1006181

Abstract

In the history of Kalām, the idea of "al-ajzāʾ al-aṣlīya" (principal components) has played a key role. It first appeared in a theory about the criterion of the diachronic identity of the material body, formulated as a response to the paradox of "the Eater and the Eaten" (شبهۀ آکِل و مأکول). From this perspective, the criterion of the identity of our material body over time is the identity of its principal components and nothing else. However, in the seventh century (Hijri), the idea of "al-ajzāʾ al-aṣlīya" (principal components) found a distinct application, appearing in a view about the nature of the human self: "I am the principal components of the material body." This view is an answer to the question of: What am I? This physicalist view is independent of the previous theory and has different logical implications. This article separates and elaborates on these two distinct applications.

Keywords

al-ajzāʾ al-aṣlīya (principal components)"

physicalism"

the nature of the human self"

the criterion of the diachronic identity of the material body"

human body"

the paradox of "

the Eater and the Eaten"