A MIRROR FOR NARCISSUS (AN INTRODUCTION TO CHARACTER ANTHROPOLOGY)
Subtitle: A new approacn to Anthropology
Publisher: Ikbatan press
Published: 2014
Place of publication: Tehran, Iran
Format: Paperback
Number of pages: 156
Description: A mirror for Narcissus (an introduction to character anthropology) * 
Hossein Jaafary

Abstract: It is obvious that every phenomenon in the universe has a quiddity, and in relation with different phenomena human is involved, he has relatively cognition for their quiddities. The cognition for every phenomenon is its definition. Action against a special phenomenon can be in several levels of success or unsuccess. The level of success or unsuccess is caused by some factors; the most important of those factors is degree of knowledge & cognition of human about definition of that special phenomenon. As a result we see that human success against the nature & its phenomena depends on pass of time and gaining more & more knowledge & cognition. 
The abovementioned fact- relation between success & knowledge- is a general principle & criterion. That is to say it is not dedicated to other things & phenomena, but human being himself is also the subject of this principle. In other words the level of success or unsuccess of human in his acts and efforts in relation with himself individually or socially depends on his knowledge & cognition about himself. Yes there is an important fact nobody can deny it, i.e. human being is completely different from all phenomena & creatures, because he is a complicated one & a unique creature in the universe.
Who is human? This is a question has occupied mind of human being during several thousands in the thought & opinion history. All philosophers, sages, sociologist & reformers have tried to find a definition for this creature. They have found some knowledge & cognition in this field- both physical & spiritual aspects- but none of them has claimed that he has fulfilled this duty & presented a complete & comprehensive definition.  
We read in Quran- the holy book of Islam- this verse about human & his role in the universe, the role lacks it all of the creatures even angels, because it is exclusive role for him:
(O prophet remind) when your lord said to the angels: 'I am placing on the earth a caliph, ' they replied: 'will you put there who corrupts and sheds blood, when we exalt your praises and sanctify you? ‘He said: 'I know what you do not know [1]. 
It is important that we see in one side The Almighty God said that he wants to place a caliph- substitute- on the earth, & in other side he said  in reply of the angels: 'I know what you do not know”. That is to say The Almighty God did not refuse their speech about corruption & shedding blood by human but he emphasized on a fact, God knows it but the angels do not know it. What is that fact & is there any relation between that fact & human personality?
Anyway, as a fact, it is obvious that human being has two aspects: good & evil. All of the human history is full of his deeds & acts in both aspects. But we search another thing. We want to know how does this creature act & behave. We want to know him more & more to be able to anticipate & foresee his action in every field, or his reaction against every action done by other human individuals. Our main purpose in this investigation obliges us to see him as a whole creature in total of his billions individuals apart from the specialties have divided them in several nations, races, generations, schools of thoughts, cultures, religions, customs, traditions & so on.
Categorization of human cognition about himself:
As we know there are three main categories in knowledge about human.
The first category we can find is in the field of mysticism & philosophy is named “ma’rifatul nafs” (knowledge of soul) [2]. It studies human being in the rank of his spirit & soul. It is worthy of mention that this rank is very hard to study & know because this rank is the main essence of this creature causes him to be different from all creatures even angels.
 
 (O prophet) they question you about the spirit. Say: 'the spirit is from the command of my lord. Except for a little knowledge you have [3].
…And one of the creatures is human being: he is assigned to human soul which is named: "speaker soul", due to the most famous act & the first result assigned to it, which is the speech. And (the philosophers) do not mean by their statement: "speaker soul" that it is only the origin for speech, but this word is given as a title to its essence. And there are some specialties for it: one of them is in the field of understanding, & one of them is in the field of activity, & one of them is in the field of passivity…[4].

We see that this great & famous Islamic philosopher did not define the essence of human soul but numbered the results & specialties are assigned to it. This means that he- Avi Cina- believes there is not an exact & comprehensive definition for the human soul.  

We can say surely that altogether total of the efforts of human in relation with knowing himself in this category, have not resulted but a little.
The second category we can find is in the field studies characters of human, but this field & discipline is in the first step of its way- as we want research in this paper-.
The third category we can find is in the field of psychology, but the subject of this field & discipline is deeds & behaviors of human being, i.e. the output of his soul & characters, no soul & characters by themselves.

 
REFERENCES
  
It is worthy of mention that as I told in the introduction, this field & branch: “character anthropology” is a new point of view to the human beings & their behaviors. As a result its references are different from other scientific papers & works. It means that my fundamental references are thousands persons & their individual & social acts I have studied their common specialties during several years. In other words my study the below mentioned book references did not give me something compatible with my opinion in the subject: “character anthropology“, but convinced me that this field of anthropology is absent beside other fields & branches. 

[1]  The Almighty God, Quran- the holy book of Islam - (Chapter 2: AL-BAQARA (THE COW) verse 30)
[2] [   Return to works of: Plato, Aristotle, Avi cina, Ibn arabi, Farabi & other philosophers & mystics & the meanings they have presented for human soul.  
[3] The Almighty God, Quran Chapter 17: AL-ISRA (ISRA') verse 85
 [4] Avi cina, Oyunol Hikmat, researched & introduced by Badawi Abdol Rahman,  Wikalatul Matbuaat Press, Kuwait, 2d edition, 1980, page 40 
       

* Summary of this book as a paper is accepted in International Journal of Social Science and Humanity (IJSSH) - Paper ID: H10000 September 2013.