Shadow Unity of the Soul and its Implications in the Realm of Art

The allegory of "soul-body" has long been employed in philosophy to explain the "act of God" and the relationship between the Truth (God) and creation. In this allegory, the soul is regarded as an analogue of God, from which fitting answers are derived for certain questions concerning theology and metaphysics. In this paradigm, the "unitary shadow-like unity of the soul" (vahdat-e zelli-ye nafs) serves as a model for understanding creation, creatorship, and divine agency. In Islamic philosophy, Mulla Sadra's approach to this concept has rendered it clearer and more productive.
This article explores, through the aforementioned allegory, such issues as the definition of art, the secret of art's immortality, the innate character of the human inclination toward art, and the meaning of artistic creativity—questions central to the philosophy of art. Within the framework of "psychology" ('elm al-nafs), this allegory can offer a path toward understanding the meaning of these questions and providing solutions for them. The human soul, as a immaterial substance, engages in continuous creativity in the domain of its faculties, perceptions, and actions, just as God does. The manifestations of this creativity are most conspicuous in the realm of art. The implications of this theory for the domain of art clarify the meaning of existential human creativity, reveal the secret of human artistic life and experience, explain the notion of "unity in multiplicity and multiplicity in unity," demonstrate a more profound concept of "representation" (tamaththol) and "imitation" (mohakāt), and analyze the soul's inexhaustible power in the creation of art.