The Development of Metaphysics in Persia / A Contribution to the History of Muslim Philosophy

by Sir Muhammad Iqbal

In his Psychology he mostly follows Avicenna, but his treatment of the subject is more thorough and systematic. He classifies the soul in the following manner:—

			The Soul
Heavenly				Earthly
		Human		Animal		Vegetative
						Powers:—
						1. Preserving the individual.
						2. Perfecting the individual.
						3. Perpetuating the species.

The animal soul has three powers:—

1. External senses		Perception.
2. Internal senses
3. Power of motion which includes.
(a) Voluntary motion.
(b) Involuntary motion.

The external senses are taste, touch, smell, hearing and sight. The sound exists outside the ear, and not inside as some thinkers have held. For if it does not exist outside the ear, it is not possible to perceive its direction and distance. Hearing and sight are superior to other senses, and sight is superior to hearing; since: —

I. The eye can perceive distant things.

II. Its perception is light, which is the best of all attributes.

III. The construction of the eye is more complicated and delicate than that of the ear.

IV. The perceptions of sight are things which actually exist, while those of hearing resemble non-existence.

The internal senses are as follow:—