In the philosophical tradition of Islamic philosophers, the discussion of the five-fold external senses takes place based on a particular criterion and order. Philosophers generally believe that the order of the senses from the lowest to the highest consists of touch, t
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In the philosophical tradition of Islamic philosophers, the discussion of the five-fold external senses takes place based on a particular criterion and order. Philosophers generally believe that the order of the senses from the lowest to the highest consists of touch, taste, smell, hearing, and sight, among which hearing and sight are subtler and nobler. Based on the principles of the Transcendent Philosophy, such as the trans-substantial motion, the given order develops an ontological and perfectional aspect, which is the reason why Mulla Sadra’s discussions of the soul in relation to the external senses generally enjoy an ontological nature. The ontological level of the first three senses in the given order is always fixed; nevertheless, regarding the ontological superiority of hearing and sight over each other, some pieces of evidence testify to the superiority of hearing over the other, and some others testify otherwise. In this paper, the writers have examined and analyzed the reasons behind the ontological order of the senses based on the Transcendent Philosophy. Moreover, given the particular attention paid to hearing and sight, they have evaluated the reasons adduced for the ontological superiority of these two senses.
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