Wisdom And Philosophy

Gender Change and Its Possibility from the Perspective of Sadra'i Philosophy

Document Type : Research Paper

Author

محمد مهدی کمالی

استادیار پژوهشکده علوم اسلامی رضوی بنیاد پژوهش های اسلامی

https://doi.org/10.22054/wph.2025.79412.2239
Abstract
Introduction

One of the new phenomena of the modern era is the possibility of changing gender through surgery and the formation of a new society called the transsexual society. Unlike hermaphrodite, who has both male and female genitals, trans refers to a man or woman who has a completely male or female body, but has opposite sex tendencies and considers himself mentally and psychologically male or female, contrary to the sexual structure of his body. Today, gender reassignment has become somewhat socially and culturally acceptable and is even being accepted in jurisprudential and legal terms, but is gender reassignment really possible from a rational and philosophical perspective?
In this article, we will look at the subject of trans from a philosophical perspective and examine the possibility of changing gender through surgery from the perspective of the psychology of Islamic philosophy and based on the principles of Sadra'i philosophy. The most important issue that will be examined in this research is whether the soul, like the body, has a gender or not. And if the answer is yes, does changing the body's genital structure also change the gender of the soul or not? Is the transgender community's claim that a male soul resides in a female body or vice versa reasonable? Is it possible for a male or female soul to grow in a body that is not of the same gender? Islamic philosophy, especially transcendental wisdom, has valuable discussions about the soul and the body and their relationship that can guide us in understanding and confronting this phenomenon and answering the above questions.

Literature Review

Although there has been considerable research on the issue of trans and gender reassignment by academic centers, research on this issue has not been conducted from the perspective of philosophical psychology. Most of the research conducted is from the perspective of medicine, jurisprudence, law, sociology, and mental and psychological problems. Islamic philosophy has rich discussions about the soul and its relationship with the body, which can help us in solving the enigma of trans and commenting on the possibility of gender reassignment and, consequently, whether it is permissible or not.

Methodology

In this study, using a descriptive-analytical method, we first examined the issue of soul and gender, and then we explored the issue of trans and gender reassignment. In this regard, we will also take a look at the findings of empirical sciences regarding how gender is formed in the womb.

Conclusion

Based on the findings of this study, changing gender through surgery is either fundamentally not possible or, assuming it is possible, is not logical. If the soul has no gender and gender is the body, and the person's body is perfect in terms of masculinity and femininity in every way, there is no logical justification for surgery. And if the soul has a gender, then due to the proportionality between cause and effect, or matter and form, it necessarily has a gender that matches the body. In other words, whether the soul forms the body and their relationship is a cause-and-effect relationship, or whether the body is completely formed by God and the soul has no agency in its creation and the body is merely a place for the soul, in any case, there is a complete correspondence between the soul and the body, and it is not possible for the soul and the body to be opposites in terms of gender. Therefore, it is fundamentally impossible to change gender; because surgery does not change the truth of masculinity and femininity, but only the appearance of the body; that is, the inner and true nature of a person, which is his soul, is unchanged and remains the same. Therefore, it can be said that the only result of surgery is the creation of imperfect men-like women and imperfect women-like men. It is necessary to re-emphasize that the issue of transgender people is different from bisexual people, and what was said was about transsexuals, not bisexuality. Trans is a type of mental illness in which a person suffers from the illusion of gender crisis and imagines himself as a man or a woman, contrary to the natural structure of his body. One should not play in the field of illusion of this person and fuel his illusions. Rather, instead of surgery, he should be given psychotherapy and removed from the illusion of gender disorder.

Keywords

Trans
bisexual
the possibility of gender change
soul
body
masculinity and femininity
philosophical psychology
Subjects
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Wisdom And Philosophy
Volume 20, Issue 80
Winter 2025
Pages 173-201

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