priority of cognitive processes over language production from mulla sadra’s point of view

the present paper discusses the priority of cognitive processes over language production of the speaker, based on mulla sadra’s philosophy of language. in this regard, the conditions of perceiving knowledge as well as the process of language production of the speaker are propounded. mulla sadra believes that knowledge is perceived through a process in which human soul is an active agent rather than a passive one. language to him is manifesting of the speaker’s interior. again, the speech depends on the speaker as an action depends on the agent performing it. the cognitive process of language through an arc of descent is performed by the speaker’s human soul. through analysis of mulla sadra’s explaining his theory, it is concluded that: although mulla sadra maintains the idea that the cognitive process happens before the language production, he disagrees with a fixed and certain cognitive structure to be imposed on the speaker. furthermore, he opposes merely an introspective language process without a relation to the external world as well to other people. moreover, he holds the belief that the intellectual perception is not a transcendent concept to inject language into the passive human mind.