Comparison between Plotinus and Suhrawardi on felicity and beauty

Beauty and felicity in Plotinus’ and Suhrawardi’s philosophy have similarities and differences, same as their ontology and epistemology. This dissertation is an attempt to compare these two concepts, as ontological aspects of existence. According to Plotinus, the world has three hypostases: One, Nous and Soul. The three hypostases are hierarchically ordered in relation to each other. Soul emanates from Nous, and Nous in its turn, radiates from One. The positive attributes of supreme entities are derivative from his attributes, and all imperfections and failures are negated from him. Plotinus claims that matter has no reality. The doctrines of Shahab al-din Yahya Suhrawardi, the founder of Islamic illuminative philosophy, are based on three sources: wisdom of ancient Persia, Islamic thoughts, and Neo-platonic philosophy. His philosophy begins with “the Light of lights”, and then he respectively speaks of almighty lights, of the light handles planetarium, and of the light manages the body, and of material objects. Following to a report of main doctrines of these two philosophers, the dissertation makes a comparison between the light in Suhrawardi’s term and existence in Plotinus’. It concluded that the One and Nur al-Anwar have similarities in three parts: real unity, emanation and negation of the limitation. By comparing the place of soul and nature in two philosophical systems, the dissertation analyzes similarities and differences of layers of existence. Finally, it is discussed how to reconcile felicity and beauty in both systems; therefore, there is a connection between blissful and perfect soul in illuminative philosophy and Plotinus’s philosophy.