علی آقایی پور

The main issue of the present paper is: What exactly is the relationship between our Iranian culture and thought and Western philosophy and thought? Most discussions raised in Iran regarding tradition and modernity have considered this relationship to be self-evident and obvious. However, contrary to appearances, it seems this relationship is not so obvious and clear. The mere fact that we study books and sources of Western philosophy, or write texts and articles about it in the form of various research projects, does not mean that we, who have been situated and grown within a different historical and intellectual framework, have a relationship with the intellectual tradition of the West. It must be acknowledged that the historical and intellectual course of modern Western thought, considering its roots and origins, has its own requirements and characteristics that do not necessarily align with the historical and intellectual framework in Iran. Therefore, the absolute extension of its precepts and concepts to this framework does not seem entirely acceptable. This very issue must be subjected to a serious question; that is, we must understand what the aforementioned relationship actually is and what characteristics it can possess. Hence, this seemingly clear relationship must itself become a subject for serious reflection and scrutiny. Finally, this paper proposes that instead of taking our relationship with modern Western thought for granted, we must begin an effort to discover the various dimensions of the internal logic of Iranian thought and reflection.

Ta'zieh is a national and religious performance that has, in a way, transformed into a ritual in our culture. This performance is inherently rich in elements that demand contemplation regarding their dramatic weight and significance. Ta'zieh is a fully theatrical scene; that is, the staging of a Ta'zieh possesses dramatic characteristics that can be examined from the perspective of the philosophy of theatre, which generally addresses the concepts of performance and staging. Therefore, this article seeks to discuss Ta'zieh from a philosophical perspective, analyzing its different facets and its similarities to and differences from what we commonly call theatre or drama. We aim to analyze Ta'zieh within a new framework, revealing its capacities in light of new theoretical discussions on theatre. In other words, in this article, we are looking for the intersection point of Ta'zieh and the philosophy of theatre, discussions that have largely been neglected in our research literature, all without reducing either domain—Ta'zieh or modern drama—to the other.