Document Type : Research Article (Political Thought)

Author

• Sayyed Ali Latifi

PhD. Student of Political Thought, Faculty of Political Science, Institute of Humanities and Cultural Studies, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

Ayatollah Mohammad Taghi Mesbah Yazdi, a prominent Neo-Sadraian philosopher and influential political figure in contemporary Iran, has developed significant theories within both philosophical and political domains. This study aims to address the question: "What is the relationship between Ayatollah Mesbah Yazdi’s epistemological views and his political thought?" Employing an analytical-descriptive approach based on Leo Strauss’s text-to-text interpretation method, the research demonstrates that his political ideas—particularly his theories of governance—are grounded in an epistemological framework consisting of four layers: empirical knowledge, rational insight, intuitive awareness, and revelatory understanding. The study hypothesizes that this epistemological foundation shapes his political thinking into an elitist structure. The paper first examines Mesbah Yazdi’s views on the types, value, and means of acquiring knowledge, followed by an overview of his political thought. It concludes that his political outlook is constructively derived from his epistemological principles, underscoring a foundational link between the two.

Keywords

• Mesbah Yazdi
• Epistemology
• Science by Presence
• Acquiring Knowledge
• Guardianship of the Islamic Jurist
• Elitism