A COMPARATIVE STUDY ON VIEW POINTS OF IMAM ALI AND CONFUCIUS ON EDUCATION (2)
Ethical self-improvement or moral refinement
Confucius encouraged his followers to improve their behavior, purify their souls and make their social relations better. (Creel 1949: 96) According to him the meaning of life is to improve your personality and behavior. It might be important to know that he holds: “The virtue is perfect which adheres to a constant mean.” That is to say in a more philosophically phrased translation this becomes: “The use of the moral sentiment, well balanced and kept in perfect equilibrium “(Noss, 1965: 391). Men should try to put aside their selfish wishes and fill themselves with good deeds (legged1879: 27).
Imam Ali holds that men should try to make intimacy to God. This will result to moral refinement. He admonished people: “Supervise your soul” (Imam Ali AH: 359).
Although their motivation in regard to self-refinement and purification of men differed but the results would seem to be similar. That is to say, improvement of men the both thinkers give priority of moral refinement of self for educating other ones. Confucius’ aim was to teach his disciples good act and morals. He says if they want to rule so they have to learn to rule on themselves. So the ruler is he who governs himself firstly. One who could not resists against his carnal soul, how would be able to govern others (Confucius 1955: 22).He told that the image of you among people is resulted from your thoughts and acts (Burgan 2008:49)
Imam Ali says: “everybody who wants to teach other persons, he must train himself already (Imam Ali 1385 AH: 450)
It might be interesting that the both thinkers made priority to purify self then doing education of society. The necessary requirement for leadership is to educate one self. A person could train others which already have mode self-purification. One main similarity among these thinkers might be their emphasis might be their emphasis on practical training. As a matter of fact, both of them hold that every moral teacher should teach his disciples practical not orally. Imam Ali says: “Call people towards doing good by your acts not words” (Imam Ali 1385 AH: 440)
Pragmatism and morality
The both thinkers pay to practical results of education. Confucius says: the benefit of learning is to realize it (Jaspers1985:239).Imam Ali say: “people when lean good acts, they will practice according them .So they might lead to right way (Kulayni 1369AH V.1: 56) Imam Ali hold that “the calamity of knowledge is not acting according to it (Moayyidi 1393AH:.83) Accordingly if one learn something but do not put it into practice, then it will be useless.
Equality of men
Confucius and Imam Ali considered the matter of equality among people too much. It is said that Confucius was the first teacher who popularize education in China and hold that all people should be educated regardless of their class (Chen 1971:27). He hold that men are basically equal (Creel 1949:51).
Imam Ali was on the view that all men are equal. He wrote to Malik-e Ashtar, one of his companions, as follows: “men are two kinds. They are either your brothers in religiosity or they are human beings tike you”. (Imam Ali 1385 AH: 405). When a Leader holds to equality of men in education so it will prepare equal opportunities for all men and vanish all discriminations (Ahmadi 1372 A.H:116)
The principle of personal difference
Confucius and Imam Ali had paid attentions to personal differences of their students. Confucius believed that education must be in harmony with personal faculties of educators as well (Fu Chen 1969 Vol.1:177). Confucius usually proposed one question and they gave different answers (Creel, 1949 :99).In fact, he evaluated weakness and strength of every student and then he made advises regarding education according to his capacities.
Imam Ali considered different level of men’s understanding them. Even he gave different answers to same questions of his followers based on their different levels of understanding.
Traditionalism
Confucius and Imam Ali emphasized on study of history and traditions of last generation. Confucius holds that as a teacher he must interpret old cultural heritage for his students (Yu lan Ibid :40). Confucius came to know past history of china as his main source of his thoughts (Adler Ibid : 40).
Imam Ali considered history as an instrument to educate people. Actually he presented history as a mirror so that people might take lessons from it. Both thinkers put emphasis on experiences of a past generations. Imam Ali told to his son:
“I have studied history of past peoples and last generations so much and so that one may conceive that I have lived with them. Then I could understand useful and harmful things in their history. So I choose useful things of their traditions and put aside harmful one’s (Imam Ali 1395: 31)
Both thinkers were on the view that by referring to history and traditions of last generations, men might be able to learn experiences as their future.
Children and responsibility:
According to Confucius every child must follow his parents so that he could reach to his ethical perfection. Through following of the parents, one might reach to Ren in Chinese literature and tradition. Confucius believed that to keep respect of parents is among most important virtues. (Adler 2002:87).So he presented filial duty as first step towards moral perfection, (Ming, 2000: 101).
Imam Ali expressed that children should follow their parents in all affairs and do their orders except when they want them to transgress divine orders (Imam Ali 1395AH:.399).Men should accustom to do well towards their parents. It must be mentioned that according to teachings of Islam, Teachers have to pay attention to children’ activities. Since knowledge without any practices and acts will be useless (Ibrahim zadeh, 1375AH : 29).
METHODS OF EDUCATION
Examples and models
Confucius and Imam Ali hold that human examples have much influence on conduct of men. The rulers, both believed, are among main important examples. Confucius says: the character of a ruler is like a wind and people are similar to vegetables. So vegetables will bend towards the way that wind blow (Ware 1955:.97). They do not concentrate on teaching laws are rules but they mainly stress on personality of rulers, teachers and ethical models and examples.
So they propose idea of “perfect man”. It is most praised personality for Confucius. He made efforts to reach men towards this ethical ideal (Hume 1929:100).It is narrated that once Tsze Kung asked: “What constitutes the Superior man? “Confucius replied:” He acts before he speaks and afterwards speaks in accordance with his act (Dawson 1915:62). Accordingly they hold men should act based on ethics and virtues not laws and orders. The former originates from men’s wiling and wisdoms but the latter envisage a kind of forceful behavior. Both of the thinkers had influential character and impresses their disciples too much.
Creel holds that Confucius himself was a good example for his followers and it caused causes expansion of his teachings as well (Creel 1971: 115). Confucius emphasizes on li for social solidarity and order but he negate law making in regard to education. In fact, he hold that men should behave based on virtues and morals. (Fu Chen 1969:5).They must not act according to fear of punishment.
Imam Ali’s world views include a lot of orders and disorders. Meanwhile it is not imitated to law. So acting based on virtue and piety have an especial place in ideas of Imam Ali. He used to use the method of advising .For example he says to his son: “Make alive your hart with advises (Imam Ali 1395:331).
Differences among both thinkers:
Confucius used to use from poems and music for education. That is to say, he put them as a part of his educational program. He hold that music brings concentration and discipline (Bergun 2008: 27). It seems that music could help men to reduces his egocentrism and bring calm for them. By music, he holds, men feel unity with themselves and the universe (Radhakrishnan 1990: 10) He hold that to learn music and to compose poems might bring up thoughts and positive feelings as well.
Imam Ali used to present fluent lectures (Motahhari1375AH:.15). He emphasized on the power of words, their rhythms and style instead of argument and justification.
Confucius had especial audiences. It means that he had a certain circle of disciples (Creel 1971:98).While Imam Ali addressed all people of his time in his sermons and lectures. He made sermons in order to affect people. Imam Ali considered them as instruments to review men’s harts (Imam Ali 1395AH:300). While Confucius did not used so much popular sermons.
Confucius and Imam Ali lay stress on common education.
Imam Ali usually addressed all people in his religious lectures directly but Confucius addressed some casts of society. That is to say, Confucius like many other philosophers had especial students. He was busy with his especial students and through their activities he was presented to the world.
The goals of education:
Confucius considered aim of education as forming the rule of ethics (Creel 1949:17).His aim was to bring social and worldly welfare for men. According to him, perfect men means a good ruler for the society. So he made efforts to educate disciples who would be respectful, pious, moderate brave ones. He had much influences on his society. (Dawson 1915: 35).It would be told that his philosophy must not be evaluated as materialism since he had the idea of revival of ethics and morals in the society. Since his teaching stresses on moral principles (Chen Le 1969: 5)
The main aim of education in Islam is to worship Allah (Shariatmadari 1375AH: 237). Imam Ali’s aim of educating was to make intimacy between men and God (Imam Ali 1395:389).So through intimacy to God, man will act as his vicegerent in the earth. So he will reform men’s society. The main aim would be to train good ruler for the society. Having a good ruler would help to reform the society.
Both of them viewed social and political power as an instrument. They sought men’s salvation while their definition of the concept differed. Both of them wanted to bring out perfect man. According to them the main characteristics of perfect man would be righteous, wise, kind, moderate, right doers and just(Imam Ali 1395:387) and (creed 1971:48).
The differences of the concept of salvation before them would be considered as follow:
Imam Ali’s main idea was intimacy of man to God. He wanted to create perfect man and vicegerent of Allah on earth (Motahhari, P.20).Through that Caliph of Allah, i.e. Imam, people will experience both worldly and hereafter welfare as well. Confucius mainly sought worldly welfare of men. So his stress on popular education, perfect men and ethics might be considered as his instruments to reach to his purposes (Creel 1949:7).Confucius hold that awe must reform society through educating the rulers (Adler,2002, P.20).
CONCLUSION
The study of works and ideas of Confucius, a social philosopher of China and Imam Ali, a prominent religious leader of Shiite Islam, on education indicates that both of them had attention to it. One might conclude that although they belong to two different traditions but there are similarities among them as to teachings and education. Both have an idealistic worldview. They hold it is too important for men. They considered man in need to education too much. According to the both thinkers, the education has a vital effect in man’s personal and social life. They hold to God or supernatural realities .They emphasis on moderation, rationality, ethical self-improvement or moral refinement, pragmatism and morality, equality of men, the principle of personal difference, traditionalism, children and responsibility, methods of Education. Of course there are naturally some differences among Confucius the philosopher and Imam Ali.
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