International Journal of Advanced Studies in Humanities and Social Science

h-index: 15     i10-index: 21

Construction and Perception of Abstract Concepts: A Comparative Analysis in Western and Islamic Philosophy

Document Type : Review Article

Author

Morteza Vesali Naseh

Department of Humanities, Law Department, Islamic Azad University, Hamedan Branch, Hamedan, Iran

https://doi.org/10.48309/ijashss.2025.525199.1252
Abstract
Concepts play a pivotal role in the epistemology of the humanities; consequently, the process of constructing and perceiving concepts—particularly purely abstract ones—constitutes a foundational topic in the humanities, engaging not only philosophy, logic, and the principles of jurisprudence (uṣūl al-fiqh) but also linguistics. The formation and perception of such non-objective concepts are based on mental and linguistic conceptualization, rooted in the discourse on the relationship between language and mind. Although conceptualization may appear to be originated in Western philosophy—with analytic philosophy and contemporary semantics (under the framework of cognitive semantics) now leading these discussions—its true roots, predating Western thought by centuries, must be traced to the Islamic philosophical and jurisprudential debates on the relationship between words and meanings (al-lafẓ wa al-maʿnā).These discussions have been primarily addressed in uṣūl al-fiqh (principles of Islamic jurisprudence) and the philosophy of iʿtibārīyāt (conventional/constructive perceptions). In analytic philosophy, the process of conceptualization operates through metaphorical perception, where the sensible is mapped onto the tangible, whereas in Islamic philosophy, it functions through iʿtibārī perception, where objective concepts are transferred into mental constructs. This study undertakes a comparative analysis of the semantic foundations underlying the formation and perception of purely abstract concepts in Western analytic philosophy and Islamic philosophy.

Keywords

Concept
Conceptualization
Metaphorical Perception
Iʿtibārī Perception

Subjects

OPEN ACCESS

©2025 The author(s). This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons license and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this license, visit: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

PUBLISHER NOTE

Sami Publishing Company remains neutral concerning jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

CURRENT PUBLISHER

Sami Publishing Company

[1]. Bajcic, M., Conceptualization of legal terms in different fields of law: The need for a transparent terminological approach. Research in Language, 2011, 9(1), 81-93. [In Persian]
[2]. Nuyts, J., Epistemic modality, language, and conceptualization (A Cognitive - Pragmatic Perspective). Book, 2001. [In Persian]
[3]. Vygotsky, L.S., Thought and language. Book, 2012, 29. [In Persian]
[4]. Mozaffar, M.R., Principles of jurisprudence. Qom: Islamic Propagation Office Publications, Book, 1991. [In Persian]
[5]. Malekian, M., Linguistic discussions in the principles of jurisprudence: A genealogy of verbal debates in Usul al-Fiqh. Critique and Opinion, 2005, 10(3). [In Persian]
[6]. Khoini, G., Legal concepts and conventional perceptions. Journal of Law and Political Science, 2007. [In Persian]
[7]. Ahmadkhani, M., The method of perception and classification of words from the perspective of semantics, 2008. [In Persian]
[8]. Ebrahimian, S., Epistemology from the perspective of some Islamic and western philosophers. Qom: Dafter E Tablighat E Eslami, 2008. [In Persian]
[9]. Rezaei, M., The epistemology of legal propositions (with emphasis on Islamic legal philosophy). Public Law Research Quarterly, 2012, 15(39). [In Persian]
[10]. Encyclopedia Britannica, 2015. [In Persian]
[11]. Fa’ali, M.T., Sensory perception from Avicenna’s perspective (1st ed.). Qom: Islamic Propagation Office Publications, 2009. [In Persian]
[12]. Vyvyan E., The crucible of language: How language and mind create meaning, cambridge. Cambridge University Press, 2015. [In Persian]
[13]. Anna M., Borghi and Ferdinand Binkofski, Words as Social Tools: An Embodied View on Abstract Concepts, London, 2014. [In Persian]
[14]. Pakatchi, A., An introduction to contemporary schools of semantics. Nameh-ye Pazhoohesh-e Farhangi, 2008, 9(13). [In Persian]
[15]. Ghaneirad, M.A., Toloui, V., Methodological turns in the humanities and social sciences. Methodology of Humanities, 2008, 14(57). [In Persian]
[16]. Golfam, A., Yousefi Rad, F., Cognitive linguistics and metaphor. New Trends in Cognitive Science, 2002, 4(3). [In Persian]
[17]. Lawrence S., Embodied cognition, London and new york, Rutledge. Taylor & Francis, Books, 2014. [In Persian]
[18]. Juan C.S., Essays on Definition, Amsterdam –Netherlands, John Benjamin Publishing Co, 2000, 4. [In Persian]
[19]. Rasekh Mahand, M., An introduction to cognitive linguistics: Theories and concepts (1st ed.). Tehran: SAMT Publications, 2010. [In Persian]
[20]. Safari, K., An introduction to semantics (1st ed.). Tehran: Hoze-ye Honari, Islamic Culture and Art Research Center, 2000. [In Persian]
[21]. Pir Najmuddin, H., Spatial form as a metaphor: A study based on cognitive linguistics. Journal of Foreign Language and Literature Criticism, 2011, 4(7). [In Persian]
[22]. Alston, W.P., Philosophy of language (N. Jahanbakhsh, Trans.) (1st ed.). Mashhad: Ferdowsi University Publications, 2001. [In Persian]
[23]. Shirinpour, E., Metaphorical conceptualizations based on sitting and standing in Quranic linguistics. Linguistic Research, 2001, 4(2). [In Persian]
[24]. Jensen, R.T., Moran, D., The phenomenology of embodied subjectivity. 2013, 71. [In Persian]
[25]. Tabatabai, M.H., Principles of philosophy and the method of realism, Tehran: Amir Kabir Publications, 1997. [In Persian]
[26]. Muṭahharī, Principles of philosophy and the method of realism, Tehran: Sadra Publications, 2013, 47. [In Persian]
[27]. Eskandari, I., Language and Social Credibility in the Thought of Mohaghegh Isfahani, Farhang Pahoehoeh, 2013. [In Persian]
[28]. Askari, E., Language and social conventions in the thought of Muhaqqiq Isfahani. Farhang Pazhoohesh, 2013. [In Persian]
International Journal of Advanced Studies in Humanities and Social Science
Volume 14, Issue 4
Autumn 2025
Pages 290-297

  • Receive Date 21 May 2025
  • Revise Date 16 July 2025
  • Accept Date 18 November 2025

Home

A-Z Journals

Editorial Board

Indexing and Abstracting

Guide for Authors

Submit Manuscript

Contact Us