Acquiring Knowledge

Ayatollah Mohammad Taghi Mesbah Yazdi is one of Neo-Sadraic philosophers among influential political personalities in contemporary Iran, representing theories within philosophical realm and political thinking. In this paper, we are going to find an answer to the question of what relationship there is between epistemological viewpoints of Ayatollah Mesbah Yazdi and his political thoughts, (question). To do so, using analytical-descriptive technique based on text-to-text interpretation of Leo Straus. We will show that generally his political thoughts and specifically his theories about government are based on epistemology having four layers, namely, experimental insight, intellectual insight, intuitive insight, and revelational insight (methodology). And it is according to this very epistemological thought that his political thinking has an elitist form (hypothesis). In this paper, first three cases of types of knowledge, value of knowledge, and tools of knowledge from Mesbah Yazdi’s viewpoint have been addressed, and then his political thoughts have been briefly represented. We conclude that the relationship between epistemology and political thoughts of Mesbah Yazdi is of constructive kind, that is, his political thinking has an epistemological base.

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.