--- Balanced Rationality and the Foundations of Rational Development in the Thought of Allameh Tabataba’i

Articles in Press

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Associate Professor of Islamic Philosophy and Theology, Faculty of Theology and Ahl Al-Bait Studies. University of Isfahan. Isfahan. Iran

2 Islamic Azad University, Malard BraLevel 4 student, Transcendental Wisdom major, Rafieh al-Mustafa Institute of Higher Education, Tehran, Irannch

10.22108/coth.2025.146009.2008

Abstract

Balanced Rationality and the Foundations of Rational Development in the Thought of Allameh Tabataba’i

Abstract

This study addresses the gap in systematic accounts of rational development by examining its foundations within the thought of Allameh Tabataba’i. It investigates how his model responds to the challenges posed by modern conceptions of rationality. Employing an analytical-hermeneutical method focused on Tabataba’i’s philosophical and exegetical works, the research argues that rational growth is a systematic process involving the elevation of reason from perceiving levels of being to attaining intuitive intellect (‘aql-e shuhūdī). This progression is grounded in the hierarchy of being, the correspondence between reason and reality, causality, and the teleology of existence.

The findings propose a framework of “balanced rationality,” which integrates theoretical, practical, and intuitive intellect. In this model, reason is not merely analytical but is a faculty for existential perfection. Crucially, revelation and divine guidance are situated within the horizon of this expanded rationality, acting as its ultimate catalyst. Consequently, Tabataba’i’s thought offers a comprehensive and dynamic structure where rational development, directed by revelation, culminates in teleological human perfection. This model is presented as a valuable resource for engaging with the limitations of modern rationality.



Keywords: Allameh Tabataba’i; Rational Development; Balanced Rationality; Evolutionary Intellect; Revelation

Keywords

Main Subjects

Comparative Theology

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 21 September 2025

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