Abstract
Women and men differ in their perceptual issues. Various factors, such as physical and social factors, have contributed to this difference. The question arises whether, from the perspective of Islamic philosophy, these perceptual differences stem from the differing natures of women and men or from their different physiological and social conditions. In other words, do souls possess gender, or are their differences solely due to the bodies they inhabit? According to the view of the corporeality of the soul, a soul that arises from a female body will differ from a soul that arises from a male body. Additionally, based on the view of the spirituality of the soul, the body is the preferred basis upon which the active intellect bestows a specific soul. Therefore, in this view as well, a soul that belongs to a female body will differ from a soul that belongs to a male body. This research demonstrates that according to both perspectives regarding the emergence of the soul from the body and the attachment of the soul to the body, a distinction must be made between female and male souls. In this article, using data collection methods, the foundations and results of Islamic philosophers’ theories in this area have been examined and analyzed. Accordingly, it has been shown that the souls of women and men differ from each other, and their perceptual differences are not solely due to the attachment of the soul (i.e., the body) and social factors. The differences between women and men are not merely the result of incidental matters in the realm of practical intellect.

Introduction

Men and women differ from each other in terms of psychology, upbringing, culture, social roles, and status. These differences have led to the observation of perceptual differences in them on issues such as choosing moral priorities, responding to emotional stimuli, and decision-making and problem-solving. For example, in the female perception, micro-perception and a focus on relationships, empathy, and caring for others are observed, whereas in the male perception, globalism, a focus on rights, fairness, and abstract principles are evident. Now the question arises whether, from the perspective of Islamic philosophers, these perceptual differences are due to the differences in the souls of women and men or to their different physiological and social conditions?

Research Proposal

Since the soul and the body are related to each other, does the external difference between the bodies of men and women affect their souls? In other words, are the souls of men and women the same and have physical and social differences (as accidental factors) caused a difference in perception in them, or have their souls been different from each other since the beginning of creation?
According to Mulla Sadra's transcendental wisdom on the physicality of the soul, the human soul emerges following the development of the body. Therefore, as a rule, physical differences cause the emergence of different souls. Also, because the body is the preferred recipient of the soul from the active intellect, in the view of the spirituality of the soul, a distinction can be made between souls that are rationalized in the female body and souls that belong to the male body. In this article, by examining the results of the views of those who believe in the physicality of the soul and the views of those who believe in the spirituality of the soul, the perceptual difference between men and women has been examined.

Research Objective

This research suggests that, based on both the views of the soul's emergence from the body and the soul's attachment to the body, a distinction must be made between the feminine and masculine aspects of the soul.

Research Method

In this article, using the Method of data collection, the foundations and results of the theories of Islamic philosophers in this field have been traced and analyzed. The spiritual, psychological, and perceptual differences between men and women are rooted in physical (natural) and social (educational) factors. Different approaches to the epistemological differences between men and women in Islamic philosophy can be examined from two perspectives: theoretical reason and practical reason. None of the Muslim thinkers has believed in the equality of men and women for practical and theoretical reasons. Also, no one has believed in the difference in theoretical reason and equality in practical reason, because if someone believes in the difference in theoretical reason between the two, they will also believe in the difference in practical reason. Accordingly, the two remaining approaches are: equality in theoretical reason and difference in practical reason, and difference in theoretical and practical reason.
Interpreters of transcendental wisdom have two different opinions regarding Mulla Sadra's view:
1) Some believe that being male and female is outside the essence of the soul and that this distinction is due to a temporary matter. It does not harm the unity of the nature of men and women, because the categories of being male and being female are not exclusive to humans and exist in animals and plants as well.
2) Others, based on Mulla Sadra's principles, consider gender differences to be an original and inherent matter in the essence of the human soul. Another teaching of transcendental wisdom that reinforces this view is that Mulla Sadra considers appearance to be separate from substance. Consequently, if being female and being male are aspects of the human species, then the essence of women and men will be distinct from each other. Also, the philosophical theories of "the physicality of occurrence and the spirituality of permanence of the soul", "the essential movement of the soul's intensity and the integration of lower levels into its higher levels", and "the unity between the soul and its powers" confirm this idea. Therefore, Mulla Sadra ties the discussion of being male or female to discussions of the nature of the soul. Also, the discussion of the countless types of human reality in Mulla Sadra's works confirms this point that he should, as a rule, also consider women and men to be two different types.

Final Results

The fact that men and women have two different approaches to issues and express their feelings and emotions in distinct ways suggests that they have a different understanding of the world. Their physical differences cause hormonal and temperamental differences that affect their psyche and create two different perceptual approaches in them. Also, the physical differences between men and women cause them to assume different roles in society and thus differ from each other in practical terms. In this article, the physical, cerebral, hormonal, and temperamental differences between women and men, as well as their distinct roles in society, are examined. The perceptual differences between the two perspectives of physicality and the existence and spirituality of the soul are also explored.
Based on the physicality perspective, the existence of the soul, the soul of a woman, and the soul of a man are distinct from one another. Since, based on the essential movement of the soul, there are different stages of perceptual development, the initial perceptual difference between women and men can also be effective in their subsequent perceptual stages. In this view, their different roles in society have a causal effect on their souls. Also, based on the rule of "whoever loses a sense loses a scholar", the difference in the levels of sensory perception of women and men also affects their other perceptions. Therefore, women and men have different perceptions, both theoretically and practically, and can be considered two distinct types.
According to the spiritual view of the existence of the soul, the souls of men and women have different perceptions and mental states due to the differences in their physical bodies. Additionally, the differences in social and natural responsibilities assigned to them, as well as the differences in their levels of sensory perception, also have a causal effect on their souls. In this view, men and women can also be considered different in theoretical and practical reasons.