Abstract

After having a preliminary familiarity with creatures in the universe and observing their interactions, man understands that there is a kind of pre-determined and accurate harmony among the components of the world. It seems as if the collection of all creatures of the world comprises a single human body possessing a regulating soul. It also appears that the dispositions of all existents, like the faculties of a universal soul, spread in all parts and organs of existents, and, at the same time, under the supervision of the universal soul, follow a logical and regulatory system. Therefore, in order to justify and explain the harmonious system dominating the relations among creatures, man propounds the assumption of `the world is the macrocosm', on the basis of his own criteria. Concerning man's place and station in the world, it can be said that, although he is a part of the world and has been created from the world and in the world, apparently, he considers himself the `microcosm' for two reasons: 1) he possesses all the existential degrees and perfectional attributes of all existents in the world; 2) he is the only intellectual man who can perceive the realities of the world and grant meaning to them; in fact, the world would be meaningless without him. He is an intellectual world which is similar to the objective world.