Persian (Farsi) has always been used as a language for philosophy. Written resources from the pre-Islamic period are not many. Later, in many parts of the Islamic world, like other intellectual activities, philosophy flourished, but authors of different religions including Jewish, Christians and Muslims of Turkish, Arab, Persian and many more ethnicities utilized Arabic as a common language for their scientific and philosophical research and correspondence, like English is used today in the academic world.
So, many natively Persian speaking philosophers like Farabi (872–950), Avicenna (Ibn-Sina) (980–1037), Ghazali (1055–1111), Suhrawardi (1154–1191), Razi (1149–1209), Rumi (1207–1273), Tusi (1201–1274), Shirazi (1236–1311) and many more used to write their original works in Arabic, but maintained a small number of works in Persian. While the concept of “Arabic Philosophy” maybe a correct description of these works relating them to the language they are written in, the occasionally used concept of “Arab Philosophers” is thus a bit misleading. As time passed, more and more original texts appeared in Persian such as the works of Mulla Sadra (1572–1641), Feyz Kashani (1598–1680) and many more to follow, who wrote their main works in Persian.
The Sadra tradition continues down to the 21st century and the field of philosophy is as active as never before. Meanwhile hundreds of research papers appear each year in original Persian.
Here is an incomplete list of active academic journals that publish current philosophical research in Persian (Farsi) language. The body of their texts are in Persian while most of the article information (title, authors, keywords, abstract and references) are also available in English:
Journals on philosophy:
- Philosophical Meditations
- Wisdom and Philosophy
- Journal of Philosophical Investigations
- The Iranian Journal of Philosophy
Journals on history of philosophy:
Journals on philosophy of arts:
- Kimiya-ye-Honar: The Quarterly Periodical of The Advanced Research Institute of the Arts
Journals on philosophy of science:
Journals on philosophy of religion:
Modern Persian contains a lot of loan words from the Arabic language and philosophy is not an exception. So while reading philosophy in Persian, it is always worth it to check the excellent Online Dictionary of Arabic Philosophical Terms by Lammer and Kretz, specially if you are dealing with older texts, because even in original Persian works, many philosophers made and still make an ample use of Arabic loan words in their texts. It goes without saying that the amazing project Arabic Almanac is one of the best dictionaries for serious philosophical research out there.
Since I have been studying philosophy mainly in English and German, while reading a couple of articles from the journals mentioned above, I realized that some of the expressions used in current Persian philosophical research papers are quite new to me, as some, due to the dynamic nature of Persian language are quite novel in their structure and do not resemble any other expression one might be familiar with like the Arabic loan words. For me it was almost like a fun language game (pun intended) to find Persian equivalents to those expressions I encounter in my daily research in English and German texts. So I decided to make a small dictionary here as a reference in case it might be helpful for others as well. I will keep the list updated.
| English | فارسی |
|---|---|
| doctrine | آموزه |
| logical positivists | اثبات‌گرایان منطقی |
| positivism | اثبات‌گرایی |
| unrecognizability | احرازناپذیری |
| ethics | اخلاق |
| moral | اخلاقی |
| perception | ادراک حسی |
| perceptions | ادراکات |
| free will | ارادۀ آزاد |
| relationship | ارتباط |
| citation | ارجاع‌دهی |
| value | ارزش |
| moral values | ارزش های اخلاقی |
| main pillars | ارکان اصلی |
| theories | استدلال‌ها |
| metaphor | استعاره |
| transcendental | استعلایی |
| perfection | استکمال |
| firm | استوار |
| demonstratives | اسم اشاره |
| intersubjective community | اشتراک بینالاذهانی |
| axioms | اصول |
| intention | التفات |
| mere intention | التفات خالص |
| pattern | الگو |
| exclusivism | انحصارگرایی |
| revolutionary | انقلابی |
| denying | انکار |
| illeity | اوبودگی |
| primary | اولیه |
| explanation | ایضاح |
| identity | این‌همانی |
| by adopting this view | با این نگاه است که |
| reinterpretation | بازتفسیر |
| reinterpretation | بازتفسیر |
| ancient | باستان |
| evidence | بداهت |
| provoke | برانگیختن |
| indirect argument | برهان غیرمستقیم |
| externalism | برون‌گرایی |
| intersubjective | بین الاذهانی |
| liar paradox | پارادوکس دروغگو |
| phenomenology | پدیدارشناسی |
| phenomenon | پدیدۀ |
| research on | پژوهشی در باب |
| dynamism | پویایی |
| a priori | پیشین |
| end notes | پینوشت |
| link | پیوند |
| synthetic | تألیفی |
| explain | تببین |
| empiricism | تجربه‌باوری |
| lived experience | تجربۀ زیستۀ |
| embodiment | تجسد |
| incarnation | تجسد |
| fulfillment | تحقق |
| analysis | تحلیل |
| specialization | تخصصگرایی |
| imagination | تخیل |
| fictional | تخیلی |
| submission | تسلیم |
| explicitly | تصریحاً |
| transcendence | تعالی |
| interactive | تعاملی |
| determinism | تعین‌گرایی |
| separation | تفکیک |
| implicitly | تقدیراً |
| explain | تقریر |
| reading | تقریرهای |
| non-reducibility | تقلیل ناپذیری |
| empty | تهی |
| modern | جدید |
| worldview | جهان‌بینی |
| de dicto | جهت جمله ای |
| de re | جهت شیئی |
| essence | جوهر |
| substatial | جوهری |
| present challenge | چالش پیش رو |
| outlook | چشم‌انداز |
| abstract | چکیده |
| frame | چهارچوب |
| bearer of truth | حامل صدق |
| medial motion | حرکت توسطیه |
| substantial motion | حرکت جوهری |
| traversal motion | حرکت قطعیه |
| goodness | حسن |
| Presence (Anwesenheit) | حضور |
| necessary presence of art | حضور ضروری هنر |
| genuine | حقیقی |
| predication | حکم |
| illuminationist philosophy | حکمت اشراق |
| character | خصیصه |
| reading | خوانش |
| self-consciousness | خودآگاهی |
| self-refering | خودارجاع |
| self-sufficiency | خودبسندگی |
| in itself / for itself | در خود/ برای خود |
| being-in-itself | درخودبودن |
| lecture | درس‌گفتار |
| concern | دغدغه |
| signification | دلالت |
| mutual | دوسویه |
| twosome | دوگانه ای |
| dualism | دوگانه‌گرایی |
| other-consciousness | دیگرآگاهیِ |
| essence | ذات |
| essentialism | ذات گرائی |
| inherent | ذاتی |
| رايانامە | |
| event | رخداد |
| refutation | رد |
| release | رهش یا رهایی |
| approach | رهیافت |
| stoics | رواقیان |
| psychoanalytic | روانکاوانه |
| narrative | روایت |
| methodology | روش‌شناسی |
| fantacies | رویاها |
| approach | رویکرد |
| perspective | زاویه دید |
| dehumanization | زدودن چهرۀ انسانی |
| context | زمینه |
| profound | ژرف |
| constructivism | ساخت‌گرایی |
| mechanism | ساز وکار |
| sphere | سپهر |
| flow | سریان |
| traditionalism | سنت‌گرایی |
| third person | سوم‌شخص |
| commentator | شارح |
| basis | شالوده |
| radical evil | شرّ بنیادین |
| scepticism | شک گرایی |
| inclusivism | شمول‌گرایی |
| cognition | شناخت |
| intuitive | شهودی |
| enthusiasm of matter in the form | شوق هیولی به صورت |
| false. | صادق |
| truth | صدق |
| formalism | صورت‌گرایی |
| necessity | ضرورت |
| bare reason | عقل تنها |
| knowledge by correspondence | علم حصولی |
| knowledge by presence | علم حضوری |
| cognitive science | علوم‌شناختی |
| causal | علّی |
| main | عمده |
| emotions | عواطف |
| objectivity | عینیت |
| reality | عینیت |
| objectivism | عینیت‌گرایی |
| goal | غایت |
| neglecting | غفلت |
| subject | فاعل |
| agency | فاعلیت |
| supervenience | فرارویدادگی |
| universality | فراگیر بودن |
| assumption | فرضیّۀ |
| comparative philosophy | فلسفه تطبیقی |
| idealist philosophy | فلسفۀ ایده آلیستی |
| philosophy of culture | فلسفۀ فرهنگ |
| commensurable | قابل قیاس |
| template | قالب |
| lawfulness | قانونمندی |
| badness | قبح |
| contractualist | قرارداد گرایانه |
| intentionality | قصدیت |
| being a statement | قضیه‌بودن |
| universe | کائنات |
| true. | کاذب |
| pragmatic | کاربردشناختی |
| shortcomings | کاستیها |
| pluralism | کثرت گرایی |
| generality | کلیت |
| perfectionist | کمال‌طلب |
| performer | کنش‌گر |
| proposition | گزاره |
| propositional | گزاره‌ای |
| dialog | گفتگو |
| original sin | گناه نخستین |
| de dicto | لفظ‌نگر |
| support | مؤیّد |
| metaphysics | مابعدالطبیعۀ |
| brain in a vat scenario | ماجرای مغز در خمره |
| based on | مبتنی بر |
| origin-ness | مبدئیت |
| analytic metaphysics | متافیزیک تحلیلی |
| assume | متبادر کردن |
| contrasting | متضاد |
| correlated | متضایف |
| mutual | متقابل |
| early | متقدم |
| fiction | مجعول |
| impossible | محال |
| bounds | محدوده |
| audience | مخاطب |
| advocator | مدافع |
| help | مدد |
| advantage | مزیت |
| moral responsibility | مسئولیّت اخلاقی |
| common | مشترک |
| de re | مصداق‌نگر |
| correspondence | مطابقت |
| correspondence | مطابقت |
| absolutism | مطلق‌انگاری |
| contemporary | معاصر |
| holds that | معتقد است |
| inexistent | معدومی |
| epistemology | معرفت‌شناسی |
| problem | معضل |
| known-by-itself | معلومِ بالذات |
| known-by-something-else | معلومِ بالعرض |
| sense | معنا |
| semantic | معنایی |
| semanticist | معنی‌شناس |
| criterion | معیار |
| concept | مفهوم |
| conceptualise | مفهومسازی |
| conceptual | مفهومی |
| article | مقاله |
| research article | مقاله پژوهشی |
| popular article | مقاله ترویجی |
| review article | مقاله مروری |
| Frankfurt School | مکتب فرانکفورت |
| ego | من |
| references | منابع |
| ritual | مناسک |
| logician | منطق‌دان |
| point of view | منظر |
| negativity | منفیت |
| effective | موثر |
| component | مولفه |
| desire | میل |
| unconsiousness | ناخودآگاه |
| incompatible | ناسازگار |
| inconsistency | ناسازگاری |
| inadequate | ناکافی |
| conclusion | نتیجه |
| conceptual relativity | نسبیت مفهومی |
| relativized | نسبی‌شده |
| relativism | نسبی‌گرایی |
| semiotics | نشانه‌شناسی |
| institution | نظام |
| regularity | نظم |
| self | نفس |
| criticism | نقد |
| milestone | نقطۀ عطفی |
| attitude | نگرش |
| indexical | نمایه‌ای |
| movement | نهضت |
| emergentism | نوخاسته‌گرایی |
| Light of lights | نورالانوار |
| paper | نوشتار |
| corresponding author | نویسنده مسئول |
| coauthor | نویسنده همکار |
| existence | هستی |
| ontology | هستی‌شناسی |
| coordination | هماهنگی |
| co-referent | هم‌مرجع |
| normativity | هنجارمندی |
| inquiry / analysis | واکاوی |
| being | وجود |
| revelation | وحی |
| context | ورطه |
| certainty | یقین |
