Substantial Motion: from Mulla Sadra's Philosophy to Physics

Abstract

Substantial motion is Mulla Sadra's philosophical innovation in material existence. Since the four fundamental interactions are the major topics of physics, in this comparative study, substantial motion is tested based on physical achievements. The study aimed to find answers to the following questions: do the achievements made in physics strengthen or weaken the theory of substantial motion? If science strengthens it, which physical interactions are examples of substantial motion? Based on the results of the physics, how can some of the accidental changes be considered as Substantial motion? Mulla Sadra proved that material existence has a constant inherent fluidity. Three centuries later, quantum physics proved the dynamism within matter. Mulla Sadra showed that accidental motion is the cause of substantial motion. Similarly, science confirmed that any change in the properties of an object results from the internal interactions of the matter and the object. Furthermore, any motion in an object occurs along with the exchange of the particles carrying force. Accordingly, internal transformations in the matter including the intermolecular, intramolecular, atomic, and subatomic (at elementary particles and quarks level) are subsets of the substantial motion.