Logic-Based Philosophical Counseling in the Realm of the Gradation of Being

Abstract

This study examines the possibility of employing the principle of the gradation of being (tashkīk al-wujūd) in the philosophy of Mulla Sadra as a logical antidote within the framework of Elliot Cohen’s Logic-Based Therapy. First, philosophical counseling and its logic-based branch are introduced, emphasizing the identification of cognitive fallacies, the correction of erroneous beliefs, and the provision of philosophical antidotes aimed at achieving higher virtues. Logic-Based Therapy, by focusing on clients’ defective reasoning—particularly unrealistic expectations—seeks to modify maladaptive emotions and behaviors. Subsequently, the principle of the gradation of being in Sadrian Transcendent Philosophy is examined, according to which existence is analogical, pervasive, and constituted by varying degrees of intensity and weakness. Within this ontological framework, multiplicity among beings is preserved alongside the unity of existence, and each entity possesses a specific status and value corresponding to its degree of existential intensity. The study argues that Sadrian gradation can function as a philosophical antidote because it clarifies the distinction between “being” and “appearance,” moderates unrealistic expectations, strengthens fair self-evaluation, enhances rational empathy, and prevents individuals from blindly imitating deviant beliefs. Ultimately, this principle demonstrates significant potential for enriching logic-based philosophical counseling within the intellectual context of Islamic philosophy.