A Comparative Study of the Concept of Manifestation in Mullā Ṣadrā’s Philosophy and the Notion of Fields in David Bohm’s Physics: Toward a Holistic Worldview

Authors
Mohammad Mahdi Zamani
Mohsen Izadi
Habibollah Razmi
University of Qom
Abstract
This paper presents a comparative study of two distinct yet converging perspectives on the unity of existence: the metaphysical framework of Mulla Sadra in Islamic philosophy and the theoretical propositions of David Bohm in modern physics. Mulla Sadra, through his doctrines of tajallī (manifestation) and waḥdat al-wujūd (the unity of being), offers a philosophical vision in which all entities are grounded in a single, divine reality. In parallel, Bohm, through his theory of the implicate order within quantum field theory, articulates a holistic model of reality that seeks to unify consciousness and matter at a fundamental level. This article explores the conceptual parallels between these two approaches, particularly in their treatment of the unity of the cosmos, the source of existence, and causality. It highlights a potential convergence between metaphysical reflection and quantum theory. Although these perspectives emerge from different epistemological traditions, both propose models of reality in which apparent multiplicity is rooted in a deeper, unified order.
Keywords
Wholeness
Bohmian Quantum Field
Unity of Existence
Manifestation
Non-locality
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Metaphysical Research
Volume 7, English Special Issue
June 2026
Pages 139-152