Font Size:     

The Persian philosopher Sadr ud-Din Muhammad Shirazi, also known as Mulla Sadra, developed his hylomorphism on the basis of his interpretations of Aristotelian notions of form, matter, actuality, and potentiality. This paper presents Sadra’s hylomorphism, focusing on the main principles that he used to identify the hierarchy of different layers of form and matter in a composed object. In this regard, the forms and matters identified by Mulla Sadra in his two examples of a chair and a human being are graphically presented in the form of hylomorphic models for easy understanding. The paper also explains how Mulla Sadra’s hylomorphism may be applicable in particle physics by identifying form and matter in smallscale particles. Furthermore, the paper explains how forms in a human being gradually develop from the vegetative form of his body up to his rational soul and what kinds of forms continue to serve as their matters during this gradual development. Lastly, the paper shows how Sadra’s hylomorphism is highly antimaterialist despite its compatibility with particle physics. The anti-materialism of his hylomorphism not only shows that the forms of different objects do not originate from their matters but also shows that different parts of an object existentially subsist through the last form considered as a whole object. Keywords: Hylomorphism, Form, Matter, Actuality, Potentiality