‘Soul And Body’ As ‘Meaning And Word’

Abstract

The issue of the connection between soul and body has long been in the focus of Psychologists. Some have compared their connection with the connection between a ship and its captain, king and city, fruit and tree, and so on. In a narration, the first Shi‘a Imam, ꜥAli ibn Abi Ṭalib (a) likened the relationship between soul and body to the connection between "meaning and word". In this article, in the light of linguistics and semiotics’ theories, as well as theories in the science of Usul (fundamentals), we analyse this analogy as a hypothesis about the relationship between soul and body, and examine the commonalities between these two by delving deeper into the theoretical foundations of word and meaning. Words and meanings have general rules, such as: substantive and mentally-posited, abstraction and materiality, stability and change, apparent and inner rules, which are applicable to the relationship between soul and body. In this research, first the sense of "meaning" is explained, then the general rules of word and meaning are applied to the relationship between soul and body; then the similarities between word and meaning with soul and body are explored.