Changing attitudes towards art according to the "contingents" theory of Allameh Tabataba'i

Ibn Sina and other Muslim thinkers after him, under the influence of Aristotel’s logic and poetics, defined beauty as "compatibility and suitability with the soul," and since they believed in a fixed meaning for the human being, their definition also took on an essentialist form. With the development that Mulla Sadra proposed by the theory of essential movement in the definition of human being, the essentialist definition of beauty could no longer be compatible with the dynamics and changes inherent in the human soul. In the author's opinion, Allameh Tabataba'i, by proposing contingent perceptions in contrast to real perceptions, has created another development in this field that leads to a functional definition of beauty and art. Allameh Tabataba'i means by contingent perceptions the perceptions that are necessary for human vital activities and can only be realized in the field of action. Therefore, in his view, the relationship between contingent perceptions and real perceptions is not of the type of deductive reasoning, but rather imitation, repetition, and habits play a significant role in the formation of contingents. In addition, the placement of values is on the path of perfecting existence. Human social life and values should also be seen in this direction. therefore, what has accumulated in a society in the form of customs, values, norms, etc. are the contingents that lead the evolving existence and the totality of mankind towards existential perfection. Accordingly, changing our attitude towards art as one of the most important of these values is inevitable.