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Interview with Ayatullah
Seyyed Muhammed Khamenei
A
Short biography
Ayatullah Seyyed Muhammed Khamenei was born in 1935
AS in Mashad. He followed his preliminary and
complementary studies of jurisprudence and Islamic
philosophy in Mashad’s Seminary between 1950 and 1955.
He continued his studies at higher levels of
jurisprudence (ijtihad) and Islamic philosophy
and gnosis between 1955 and 1964 in Qum’s Seminary.
Later he moved to Tehran and received his BA in law from
the law faculty of Tehran University (1965-1969).
Among his academic activities, we can refer to
teaching constitutional law at al-Zahra University, the
Sociology of the Family at al-Zahra and ‘Allamah Tabataba’i Universities, Criminal Law at Islamic Azad
University, and International Law at the Faculty of
International Affairs of the Foreign Ministry. He also
worked as an attorney for some years and was the charter
holder and editor-in-chief of the Journal of Iran’s
Problems in the 1980's. He is a member of the
Iranian Society of Wisdom, the President of the World
Congress of Mulla Sadra, the President of Sadra Islamic
Philosophy Institute (SIPRIn), the President of
International Mulla Sadra Society, and the owner and
editor-in-chief of the specialized philosophical Journal
of Kheradnameh Sadra Quarterly.
He has presented more than forty papers in various
national and international conferences on ontology,
epistemology, gnosis, interpretation, and other fields.
These papers have been published in appropriate journals
and books. He has also written 29 books on philosophy,
gnosis, history of philosophy, jurisprudence, and law.
The following is an interview which Ayatullah Seyyed
Muhammed Khamenei gave some time ago. However, given the
topics discussed, we found it useful to present it to
readers in this special edition. Most of the questions
here are related to training and educating children in
Islam, Philosophy for children, and the necessity of
familiarizing all children in the country with this
field.
*Since Sadra Islamic Philosophy Institute spoke of
philosophy for children in interviews and conferences,
this topic has been introduced to people to some extent.
However, the public do not seem to have a clear concept
of it yet. Would you kindly explain?
Philosophy for children, which appears to be a new
topic, has entered the domain of culture and philosophy
during the last few decades. It can be studied in
relation to two fields: education (including all
sciences) in general, and teaching philosophy, in
particular.
In the first field, the philosophical method of
teaching different lessons and sciences is adopted and
planned in primary and middle schools. This is because
the common method, i.e. the suggestive and one-sided
teaching of materials, which is done orally or from
books, makes students consign them to memory. When
employed in teaching many of the sciences, this method
turns students into imitative weak learners and prevents
them from thinking about, understanding, criticizing,
and examining many issues. As a result, their minds do
not get used to being active, creative, and innovative
and always remains passive and superficial.
Accordingly, it is suggested that this method of
teaching sciences at schools is replaced by another
method entailing creativity and criticism and requiring
interaction between students and teachers. Here,
students have the right to ask questions about the
subject of the lessons and analyze them. The teachers'
task is to help them in this regard and teach in a way
that enables them to formulate correct definitions of
the main points of discussion. As a result, they will
develop a questioning attitude and, if necessary, try to
discuss the issue from their own points of view. In this
way, they will participate in teachers’ attempts at
clarifying the issue.
This method helps students perceive the lesson better
and more profoundly, internalize what has been taught,
and keep it in their minds for longer. In other words,
they will learn the lesson in an ijtihadi rather
than imitative fashion. In the future, they will employ
the same method for learning other sciences or in their
dealings with various ideas and thoughts. They will get
used to sending them to the workshop of the mind and
confirming or rejecting them after analyzing and
examining them.
The second field consists of two parts. The first
deals with teaching thinking, reasoning, discussion,
criticizing, and observing ethical principles in debate
and dialog. The second deals with developing a critical
and ijtihadi (jurisprudential) familiarity with
ethical principles, social rules, and various worldviews
and learning about the general and non-specialized, but
important, philosophical issues. The lesson plans for
teaching such issues will be devised considering the
students’ age and knowledge and employed from the third
or fourth grade of primary school until the last year of
high school.
In the first part, the useful tools for correct
teaching and learning of philosophy are introduced. One
advantage of this activity is that the children and
youngsters become used to some behavioral principles,
including the following:
Principles of discussion and negotiation: Here,
they are taught that all addressees should be respected.
When they start talking, we should not interrupt or
insult them. Rather, we should learn that in any
gathering of friends or colleagues all people enjoy an
equal share of respect. Each person should, for example,
speak in his own turn and as much as required. He should
try to understand what others say and does not reject or
confirm their ideas blindly.
Habit of thinking: People should think about
all subjects, questions, and problems. In other words,
they should compare each piece of data in a class
session with previous data and evaluate it in the light
of their own knowledge. Obviously, they should be
familiar with the principles of evaluation.
Habit of reasoning: Children should get used to
reasoning and presenting the arguments necessary to
their ideas. In doing so, they should naturally follow
certain principles which are sometimes conventional and
sometimes rational and in line with the principles of
the science of logic. All these principles pertain to
the form of the act and function as a mould. The
contents of discussions follow certain rules that are
related to the second part. Here, i.e. the natural and
spontaneous familiarization of students with
philosophical, ethical, and social issues, the teacher
enters the domain of simple ethical and philosophical
topics which are of public usefulness and poses a topic
or problem that is usually implied in a story. Here,
students read the lines of the story in turns and then
discuss its themes and issues.
In the first step, the debate is very simple and is
followed by questions posed by different sides. However,
with more thinking, a more thorough examination of the
issue and free discussion on the part of students, as
well as the teacher’s unnoticed guidance, the discussion
topic gradually develops more depth and is completely
internalized by students.
Of course, the above method should be exercised with
extreme subtlety which is taught to teachers. Moreover,
in those countries in which “philosophy with children”
is common practice, several methods are used. The method
that Sadra Islamic Philosophy Institute has devised on
the basis of Iranian culture and traditional religious
experiences is much closer than other methods to the
above points.
When a child is trained from school age to get used to
thinking and reasoning, in addition to perceiving his
own lessons deeply and in an ijtihadi manner, he
will also become familiar with the method of conversing,
discussing, and negotiating with people. Moreover, he
will develop a correct perception of the necessary and
main philosophical and ethical concepts, which plays a
constructive role in forming his character. As a result,
when he grows up, and when he turns into an active
member of society assuming social responsibilities, he
will be an intelligent and insightful person. Therefore,
before starting any new task, he will examine it
rationally and, through thinking, asking questions about
it from himself, and analyzing it, he will carefully
learn about its advantages and disadvantages, and
positive and negative features. In addition, he will
never accept to do it automatically and without thinking
first.
A short glance at teaching thinking to children
reveals its advantages for children as follows:
1. Developing self-confidence
2. Becoming interested in lessons
and teachers, believing in the usefulness of lessons,
being more motivated to study
3. Using their talents and
cultivating them, the emergence of children’s hidden
abilities
4. Having a better perception of
the lessons and received knowledge and internalizing
them at a deeper level
5. Gaining the power to deal with
difficulties, criticize, and use knowledge creatively
6. Having their spiritual defects
revealed
7. Asking questions that have
always existed in their minds
8. Developing the habit of group
thinking and working
9. Developing a stronger spirit of
cooperation
10. Taking part in healthy and
friendly competition and benefiting from other’s
thoughts
11. Becoming a more responsible
and flexible person in future (in order to stand against
false propaganda and brain-washing)
12. Being able to make better
judgments on the basis of existing criteria
13. Developing the habit of
self-monitoring
14. Paying more attention to the
historical, linguistic, and social backgrounds of
people’s ideas in society
The above achievements increase children’s abilities
not only to have a better education but also to have a
more fruitful social life in future. They grant them the
powers of distinction among various points, asking good
and useful questions, criticism, reasoning, creativity,
and innovation. They also awaken their hidden talents
and enable them to learn ethical, philosophical,
religious, and social points and issues.
*Was Philosophy taught to Children in Muslim countries or
in our country, Iran, or is it a completely new
phenomenon?
No exact report is available on “philosophy for
children” as we know it today in the pre-Islamic period.
Before the rise of Islam in Iran, which was the cradle
of philosophy and science, philosophy was only taught to
a specific social group called the magi, who were
theologians. However, it was a custom to familiarize
children’s minds with the preliminary issues in
philosophy and methods of learning natural sciences,
mathematics, and philosophy from a very young age. In
this regard, they employed specific methods which had
been common in Iran for some centuries.
Islam created a great change in social relationships,
and human beings’ general rights. By introducing and
establishing people's essential rights, such as their
equality in every respect (irrespective of their race,
social class, and language), Islam decreed that the
acquisition of knowledge is a necessary task for
everyone. As a result, all true religious governments
had to provide the opportunities for all people to
attain a minimum or average level of the necessary types
of knowledge.
Here, the acquisition of “religious principles” or
theology – i.e. learning about creation and God,
believing in His Oneness, revelation, the Prophet, life
after death, and otherworldly reward – was obligatory
for anyone reaching puberty. However, based on an
age-related division, the training of children consisted
of three stages. During the first six years of their
lives, they were trained at home by their parents
indirectly and in a loving atmosphere. Then, between the
ages of 6 and 12, their training became more serious.
During the third 6-year period, when children turned
into adolescents, their training became heavier and more
difficult.
Therefore, although philosophy in the common sense of
the word was not taught at that time, the method of
training the mind was employed to teach children
thinking, reasoning, and creativity, which are the main
pillars of philosophy. However, this method did not have
a name and was used in the preliminary stages of
education and training (similar to today’s pre-school
and primary levels of education).
One of the common traditions in both ancient and
Islamic Iran was telling stories to children. These
stories were usually told by mothers or close relatives.
They normally lacked a conclusion, and children
themselves drew some conclusions from these stories by
listening to them and thinking about them. These
conclusions sometimes became a part of the culture of
their society when they became adults.
Previously, even only 60 to 70 years ago, schools were
not like they are today, and children studied in centers
called “maktab” or were educated at home by
mothers, fathers, or tutors. Therefore, it was not
possible to follow a systematic and methodical approach
to teaching philosophy and creative thinking to
children.
“Philosophy for children” in its present sense, which
has gradually found its way into some countries, is the
product of the second half of the 20th
century. The founder of the new method is said to be the
Jewish master of philosophy, Matthew Lipman, who put it
into practice in 1969 in the United States of America.
He has some noteworthy and useful writings in this
regard.
*Please talk about the background of this issue in Sadra
Islamic Philosophy Institute.
In 1345 AS, when I voluntarily taught philosophical
and theological issues to students of the first and
second grades at high school, I found out that children
are essentially interested in philosophical problems.
Moreover, I learned that they have a great talent for
making inferences, expressing their own ideas, and
sometimes reasoning. I also discovered that they are
capable of understanding even the most complicated
philosophical problems – provided that they are
explained in a simple language – and can pose some
arguments for them at the level of their own knowledge.
I had previously had this experience with my own four-
and five-year-old children. One of them, when he was 4
years old, asked me some questions about the world, God,
and evil which were completely philosophical.
In 1350 AS, I started teaching philosophical issues
(in the field of theology) more seriously in another
school, which was extremely useful. I prepared a
pamphlet for teaching purposes in this regard which was
published several times. My method was similar to that
of geometry teachers. In other words, I tried to solve
philosophy problems with the help of students exactly in
the same way that a teacher solves geometry problems in
the class. The class was not teacher-centered; rather,
we thought together and examined the argument in order
to make a judgment (final proposition) on the basis of
the assumption of a geometric theorem (philosophical
proposition).
In later years, I did not have the opportunity to work
more on this method. Finally, when the headquarters for
holding the First World Congress on Mulla Sadra started
its work in 1373 AS (1995), I became familiar with
experts in various philosophical fields, including some
European experts in philosophy for children, as well as
with the works of Professor Matthew Lipman and others in
this regard. Apart from some technical objections that I
have concerning their works, I admire and appreciate
their activities in this field.
At that time, a center was established in Sadra
Islamic Philosophy Institute, and a group of people who
were working there started studying all the works that
had been written in this regard in other countries and
compared them with the related Islamic sources. Some of
them started practicing philosophy for children and
holding philosophy workshops in schools. By working with
students, they gained more experience in this field and
devised more fruitful methods for teaching philosophy to
children. It is hoped that the Ministry of Education
uses these experiences in the future and includes them
in school curriculums.
Nowadays, they have discovered in the western world
that didactic teaching is not useful. However, they had
discovered it long ago in Islamic seminaries, where
today only the Muslim clergy study. In fact, a common
tradition for all students studying there was to discuss
all topics with their masters and pose arguments and
reasons concerning all problems. They criticized their
master’s words. In return, he tried to convince them by
means of reasoning or, if they were justified, agreed
with them. That is why graduates of such seminaries
usually turned into distinguished scholars who wrote
great books and presented novel ideas and theories. All
of these achievements were rooted in the same method of
teaching based on free discussion. Here, the student did
not feel that he had to accept his master’s words.
Rather, he was well-aware that if he criticized him
logically and posed new theories, he would have a higher
status in his master’s eyes. Sometimes such masters
chose their knowledgeable, creative, and innovative
students as their successors.
Unfortunately, this method was not employed in Iranian
universities, which followed French models, and the new
European discipline replaced it. As a result, teachers
turned into the sole speakers in classes. They presented
the information in the form of notes or text books and
tried to suggest the content of the lesson to students.
They were supposed to learn all the material in their
textbooks or notes and answer the exam questions
accordingly. In fact, any student who answered
innovatively or advanced any criticism was given a bad
mark and failed the course.
*Please explain more about the necessity of using this
method of teaching with children.
As we know, even the most intelligent of all animals
are incapable of thinking, learning consciously, and
reasoning. These abilities are human-specific; however,
some people do not try to make the best use of them.
One might not believe or accept that most of the
people in the world, despite their human appearance, are
just some machines that behave, live, and organize their
works instinctively in the way they have been programmed
by creation. Unlike what the majority assume, most
people do not rely much on thinking and logical analysis
when taking care of their affairs, and they cannot
provide wise and rational answers to the questions that
they-are asked.
Most technocrat scientists, medical experts, managers,
official administrators, and other people working in
different fields (except for philosophers) usually use
their knowledge in a mechanical way. Rarely do they ever
ask themselves any questions about the job they must do,
the program they should follow, or the activity in which
they should take part. This is a mechanical approach to
life which, like animals’ following their instincts,
imprisons people in a fixed framework and does not allow
them to grow and flourish.
Asking questions about the nature, philosophy,
advantages and disadvantages of any activity that man is
to carry out not only refreshes one's soul but also
makes one think about it. This thinking leads people
towards freedom, justice, and objectivity. It makes them
depart with their prejudices and grants them
independence of ideas and knowledge so that they
perceive the realities of their lives and surroundings
through deliberation and reasoning rather than based on
habits, imitation, prejudice, or primitive animal
instincts, and, in sum, in a mechanical way!
However, the bricks for logical thinking should be
laid during childhood and the early years of primary
education rather than during adulthood, when people's
characters have been developed and structured and their
habits rule their actions.
If children learn at an early age that each phenomenon
and each act can be examined and analyzed logically by
asking some questions, they can perceive its vices or
virtues and correctness or falsity. This habit not only
helps the child to have a better perception of school
lessons and learn in an ijtihadi, rather than
imitative, manner but also persuades him to think about
what he wants to do beforehand and learn about its
advantages and disadvantages or good and bad aspects.
Such a human being will never follow him whims and,
unlike many young people, will not be easily deceived by
detrimental thoughts, goals, and ideologies. Neither
does he surrender easily to corrupt persuasions. Rather,
by following the light of thinking and reasoning, he
traverses his own path independently and, ultimately,
turns into a good citizen in practice, a jurist or,
perhaps, an innovative scholar and a good parent to his
children.
The first step in this delicate and complicated, but
important, endeavor is to have the child or the
adolescent get used to having philosophical thoughts and
questions, scrutinizing the phenomena that surround him,
and not taking anything for granted. In this way, he
will learn to seek for the reasons of any phenomenon
and, naturally, make thinking and deliberation a part of
his personal behavior.
The second step here is to get used to looking for
answers to one’s main questions, which usually consist
of “where have I come from?”, “why have I come to this
world?”, “where do I go to?”, and “how should I live?”.
Such questions might occur to anyone. They are the main
skeleton of philosophy and provide the basis for the
formation of the pillars of religious faith, believing
in God, His Oneness, Resurrection, the prophets'
mission, and other religious principles.
Children are born philosophers. During childhood, when
they become familiar with the natural phenomena around
them, they formulate some philosophical questions in
their minds. They need some answers for them, and if
they are not answered, this intrinsic feeling or
predisposition will be suppressed, which will sometimes
lead to undesirable consequences.
*Considering the fact that philosophy has been limited to
a specific group, is it possible or justified to teach
it to children?
The great philosophers of the world, from Ibn Sina to
Mulla Sadra, always insisted on keeping philosophy out
of the reach of ordinary people. Therefore, one might
rightfully ask, why is it now suddenly made accessible
to them and even to children? Could this lead to some
dangerous consequences?
The answer to this question begins with an
introduction showing that the philosophy taught to
children at school is different from the philosophy that
philosophers kept out of the reach of laymen. The
philosophers of ancient Iran believed that philosophy is
a secret. This was because it was closely related to a
series of complicated concepts that they believed could
not be attained except through ascetic practice,
inspiration, and illumination. They feared that its
spread in the society and turning into a purely
theoretical field might gradually make it decline it to
the level of playing with words and prosiness.
A similar experience in about the 4th
century BC in Greece, which lacked the necessary
capacity for perceiving the conceptual preliminaries of
philosophy, led to sophistry. As a result, many
generations were caught in the dangerous whirlpool of
sophistry, and we can still witness its deposits in
Western Philosophy.
Another reason for this event was the existence of a
rigid social classification (which is called cast today)
in which philosophers comprised the religious sect of
the society, i.e. the magi. Philosophy was passed from
father to son as a heritage in their families, and they
did not like the people of other social classes, whom
they thought lacked the talent for perceiving
philosophy, to deal with it.
However, Aristotle was not a man of ascetic practice
and illumination. He put what he had perceived from
philosophy on paper and presented it to the public.
However, the majority of philosophers, including Muslim
philosophers, sometimes in practice and sometimes in
words, were against presenting theoretical philosophy to
the society and publicizing it.
To some extent they were justified in this regard
because later experience revealed that a superficial
familiarity with philosophy could create some social and
even historical problems. For example, Abu Hamid
Ghazzali, who was a talented youth, due to his pride and
trust in his scientific knowledge, without having a
master and merely by reading a few philosophy books,
considered himself a philosopher and harshly attacked
this field of knowledge. Even after about one thousand
years, the effects of his enmity with philosophy can
still be witnessed in non-Shi’i philosophical
societies.
Recently, there have also been some people who, by
reading a few philosophy books, have considered
themselves philosophers and sometimes followed the wrong
path. In this way, they have turned this fantasy into a
sword and used it fiercely against national or
scientific societies and philosophy itself.
Apparently, the worries of true Muslim philosophers
and pre-Islamic sages were not unfounded, and, thus,
except in particular conditions, philosophy should not
be publicized. Ibn Sina and Mulla Sadra have directly
emphasized this issue in their books. The latter has
even named one of his books based on his belief in
hiding his theories and ideas from unqualified people.
On the other hand, there is a part of philosophy the
knowledge of which is necessary for society and people.
It must be accessible to ordinary people, since they
also have the right to learn philosophical views and
theories that are useful to them and satisfy their
thirst for perceiving philosophical problems and
fundamental questions.
The apprehension of some important philosophical
issues does not require ascetic practice and
illumination. Obviously, they are not useful to ordinary
people. As Islam and the Holy Qur’an have taught us, any
wise and mature person must attain a correct knowledge
of the world, what was before it, and what will be after
it. He must also be familiar with a series of
philosophical issues that are called religious
principles in Shari’a. With regard to such
principles, imitation is forbidden and ijtihad
(independent reasoning) is obligatory. Through asking
questions, each human being should become familiar with
some basic philosophical issues such as “where have I
come from?”, “who is my Creator?”, “where do I go to?”,
etc. The responses that are given in a simple language
to such questions can consolidate the foundations of his
religious and philosophical thoughts more than before.
Therefore, the problem of publicizing philosophy should
be solved by following a moderate, rather than extremist
and radical, approach. In fact, the ideas of both those
who believe in hiding philosophy from the public and
those who believe in spreading it in society should be
taken into consideration in finding a solution.
*Normally, when we talk about philosophy, we ask if
children or even adolescents are capable of perceiving
it. What is your response to this question?
As I said before, philosophy has various levels. Some
of its issues are general and comprehensible to all
people. For example, the principles of religion, i.e.
believing in the One God, prophethood, revelation, the
Hereafter, and Heaven and hell, are among the
philosophical subjects that people must learn through
ijtihad and reasoning, and without imitation and
devotion. As mentioned before, imitation is forbidden
concerning such principles. Therefore, we should not
downgrade ordinary and non-expert people and deprive
them of all types of philosophy.
Nevertheless, there are certain complicated problems
in philosophy that even those who claim to know this
field might fail to understand perfectly. For example,
we see that philosophy is taught step by step. A part of
philosophical issues is taught to students at BA level
and some of them at higher levels of education. Further,
still they learn some of them themselves after gaining
enough knowledge and scientific experience.
The important point here is that, unlike some sciences
and techniques, philosophy is intertwined with the
nature of all mentally healthy people. We can even say
that all children are born philosophers. This is an
important statement. It means that any human being,
before mastering any knowledge, technique, job, and
skill, develops the instinct for philosophizing. He must
satisfy this instinct and learn philosophy beside his
main job and responsibilities. The reason is quite
clear: thinking about the world, God, and even the most
trivial phenomena of the world is one of the necessities
of human life. As every one should know about the house
in which he lives, he should also know about the
beginning and end of the world, his situation in the
world, and its dangers and advantages.
The knowledge of philosophical problems that are
useful to ordinary people and children in life is
necessary for them. I believe that, irrespective of
one’s job, every one should be familiar with philosophy
to some extent. In other words, philosophy is not an
occupation; rather, it is a necessary pillar of the
character of a knowledgeable and thoughtful person.
Here, children have their own share of philosophy
because, as mentioned before, they have the instinct for
philosophizing, thinking, reasoning, criticizing,
creativity, and logical inquiry and choice.
Even before going to primary school, children are
little philosophers; however, not only they themselves,
but also their parents and other relatives are unaware
of it. There are certain reasons for this claim which
has been confirmed based on experience. Every one might
have encountered some profound questions among the
numerous ones that children always ask. When children
are not busy playing, they ask their parents a lot of
questions. Inquiry is the first step in philosophizing
and the first sign of a child’s being a philosopher.
With each question, a “problem” is posed, and the
collection of problems and their solutions illuminate
the path before human beings in life.
Children even ask questions about the Creator, the
beginning of creation, man’s birth and death, and the
reasons for many of the phenomena around them, which are
among the most basic philosophical problems, and demand
convincing answers. Some might assume that children lack
the capacity for philosophical problems, which is wrong.
If the purpose behind philosophy is to ask some general
questions about the world, human beings, existence,
non-existence, and the like and providing answers to
them, children are continually doing the same thing.
The experience of teaching philosophy to children
indicates that their understanding of the related issues
depends on the method of teaching. If they are allowed
to think, and if teachers teach them the correct method
of thinking and utilizing its consequences and follow a
correct and scientific approach in their methodology,
children will be able to perceive the realities and
philosophical issues. We can even teach children the
method of living a good life through employing
philosophy and logic.
Human beings can have creative minds that should be
trained from childhood. However, in practice, we see
that most people do not show any creativity in their
acts. The reason seems to be that they have been brought
up imitative beings who exhibit parrot-like behavior. It
is always said that the truth is what teachers teach or
the elders say. Rarely does it ever happen to ask a
child’s idea about the problems of life at home or in
the class.
Nevertheless, when children are asked such questions,
they will gradually develop the ability to think
automatically and infer certain issues and reason about
them independently. When their elders respond to their
questions and do not leave their inquiries unanswered,
their minds become active and formulate other questions
and try to perceive newer issues. As a result, their
knowledge increases. One can view the training of a
child’s mind and spirit from another angle, namely, his
essential right to ask questions and be curious in order
to perceive the various subjects and topics he
encounters. In fact, it is his natural right to have
those who train him help and cooperate in developing his
philosophical sense and having a deeper understanding of
his surroundings. In other words, the child’s parents
and teachers have the duty and are obliged to fulfill
this natural and God-Given right of being provided with
appropriate responses.
In fact, the above is a Shar’i duty according
to which parents and then teachers and trainers at
school must look at the child as a student of
philosophy. In the light of the questions and answers
that are exchanged between them, they should try to help
him to think, reason, and be creative. They should also
help him to develop the habit of looking for the “why”
of everything in his lessons and the affairs of life and
try to find the answers by himself or even by seeking
help from others.
One of the bad habits common to some school or
university teachers is their unwillingness to listen to
their students’ inquiries and reasoning. They also
believe that their level of knowledge is so high that
their students cannot challenge them. They view them as
tape recorders which must merely record their teachers’
voice. However, both teachers and students have the
right to ask questions, and we even believe that
students should enjoy this right more than anyone else.
Another important point in this regard is children’s
specific psychology. People usually assume a child is a
human being like themselves but on a smaller scale.
However, research and experience have proved otherwise.
An accurate psychological study of children reveals
that they are completely different from adults regarding
their psychology, and their world is also separate from
that of their elders. They perceive realities and even
objects differently from adults. We can compare the
world of children to animation movies. In their view,
the world is flexible and can change according to their
will. Moreover, through their powerful faculty of
imagination, children can even dominate their own senses
and change the world in any way they wish.
The child’s faculty of imagination is later subdued by
external senses and sensibles, creeps into a corner of
man’s interior, and can sometimes emerge only in artists
and their artistic works. Utilizing the child’s power of
imagination is an educational tool, since, in the guise
of fictitious or imaginative stories, we can teach
philosophical and ethical realities to him and activate
his power of creativity. Those who have a strong power
of imagination can use their thoughts to maneuver better
around the topic of discussion, analyze it more deeply,
and discover newer issues or propound innovative
solutions and arguments.
Among philosophers, scientists, inventors, and
artists, those with a more powerful imagination present
more novel works, ideas, and theories. This faculty is a
God-given gift. As one of the Muslim gnostics said, as
the world of being is the domain of Almighty God’s
Creativity and Creation, the world of imagination is the
domain of man’s creativity and creation.
By strengthening the child’s faculty of imagination
and accompanying him at every step, we can help him
understand even the most difficult materials. Moreover,
by giving him a good training, we can raise the child
into an innovative and creative adult. Such people enjoy
the distinction of not giving in to a theory but
examining it altogether, studying all of its dimensions
and assumptions, and trying to locate its weak points.
They are also able to reformulate the subject and
problem and develop and expand their knowledge.
In several verses, the Qur’an has ordered Muslims to
contrive, think, and rationalize when dealing with
various issues. Here, “to contrive” means to analyze a
subject from every aspect; “to think” means to use the
scientific and empirical data in order to derive new
conclusions; and “to rationalize” means to resort to
one’s ability to distinguish between vice and virtue,
ugly and beautiful, and must-not and must. In no other
religion have thinking and intellection, i.e.
philosophizing, been so much emphasized. As we read in
hadith, “May God have mercy on those who think
about where they have come from; where they are; and
where they are going to and try to find the answers”.
These three questions are, in fact, three of the most
important philosophical problems of people, and one who
does not care and think about them cannot claim to be a
human being. Similarly, one who ignores these primordial
(fitri) questions and their scientific and
philosophical answers cannot be called a human being,
either.
Mulla Sadra, the prominent Iranian philosopher
interprets verse 5 in chapter al-Tariq (Now
let man but think from what he is created!) as a
reference to "where have I come from?"; verse 8 (Surely
(Allah) is able to bring him back (to life)!) as a
reference to “where am I now?”; and verse 11 (By the
Firmament which returns (in its round),) as a
reference to “where am I going to?”.
Basically, the Qur’an has a specific method according
to which it teaches people most of the realities in the
world through asking them questions. As far as I know,
this amazing method has not been employed in the other
so-called heavenly books. For example, the Qur’an asks
idolaters, “Are you worshipping what you yourself have
created out of wood”, sinners, “Should we equate those
who obey the law with lawbreakers?”, or “Why do you deny
the divine signs when you witness them with your own
eyes?”, or those who believe that God has offspring,
“How can God, Who has never had a wife, have any
children?”.
In order to answer a Qur’anic question, the addressee
has to resort to his own conscience, primordial nature,
and intellect or external experiences and data and find
an answer that is unbiased and objective. This answer is
the very message that the Holy Qur’an intends to give
people and could have done so by declaring it directly.
By itself, it indicates that the method of question and
answer and making the addressee face his conscience or
inner sense; in other words, extracting knowledge from
the addressee himself – and, according to Socrates,
making the addressee’s mind give birth to healthy
thoughts – works through provoking his mind and
awakening his inner sense.
The Commander of the Faithful says in the first sermon
of Nahjulbalaqah, “God sent His prophets one by
one to the human kind so that they comply with the
pledge that they have made (naturally and instinctively)
with God (i.e. to act based on their conscience and
inner sense of judgment) and remember the gifts that
they have forgotten … and discover their predispositions
and talents that are latent in their minds like
treasures themselves”.
This questions refer to the fact that the answers to
necessary rational and philosophical (and, in other
words, Islamic) questions exist in the nature and mind
of every human being. However, people are usually
unaware or heedless of them.
According to God’s Command, the prophets made people
study, discover, and think about the realities of the
world by asking them some questions. As we can see in
the history of philosophy and religions, the prophets
always presented the main and important philosophical
issues in the form of religious belief and are, in fact,
the first founders of philosophy. Early philosophers
usually consisted of religious men and emissaries of
religion. A careful study of the Qur’an also reveals
that it includes all basic philosophical principles.
The second point here concerns the difference between
reporting and interrogation. In fact, teaching through
asking questions is a kind of respect for the addressee
and granting him a high status. Unlike some
pseudo-philosophical schools, the Qur’an does not always
dictate its content to people. Like dictators, the
thinkers and founders and followers of philosophical
schools of both the past and present are used to
imposing their thoughts on people by force. They present
them in the form of declarative propositions and
objective and external realities (like physical rules)
to their addressees. Nevertheless, the Qur’an, in most
cases, enters a dialog with its addressees; it sometimes
is surprised by what some people say or do and, at
times, makes them think and activate their mind and
inner sense by asking them questions about their words
and acts. The Qur’an views man as an existent who enjoys
a powerful mind and character and is capable of
distinguishing good from evil, the truth from the false,
and the beautiful from the ugly. This is a very
important point in teaching, training, and expressing
the realities.
One of the important Islamic principles is “the
principle of man’s supreme grace and station”. Assuming
a high character for the addressee, which was previously
mentioned, is based on this principle. In the Qur’an,
man enjoys an important station, i.e. he is God's
successor on Earth. Therefore, he must have significant
abilities and talents that other existents do not. One
of these talents must be the perception of the truth by
means of his inner sense. Such an existent must be
respected and granted a high status and freedom of
thinking. This is what the Qur’an teaches us to do.
The important philosophical, legal, and ethical
principle observed in this method is the principle of
man’s freedom in thinking and finding realities. In
other religions, teachings are usually transmitted to
people unidirectionally, and they are given no free
choice. This is also the case in Islamic law and
jurisprudence because law cannot be chosen by people.
They either believe in the legislator or do not. If they
officially recognize the system of legislation and the
legislator based on their free choice, they cannot
disobey the law; therefore, it is dictated to all people
in the same way.
However, philosophical thought and worldview cannot be
imposed on people, and each person must discover it
himself. Islam, too, does not force them to accept any
kind of philosophical belief and, rather, reproaches
them for easy acceptance of others’ ideas in this regard
and imitating them. In fact, any imitation concerning
religious principles (or the very philosophical
worldview) is forbidden so that people do not simply
accept the theories, beliefs, and ideas of other people
and even their scholars through imitating others and do
not deviate from the right path. It is now a good place
to refer to children’s rights.
Islam has paid great attention to children’s rights
and specified certain responsibilities in this regard
for parents and society. We read in hadith (the
Prophet’s Sunna), “Endear your children and
provide them with desirable training and education.” We
also read in the hadith of law from Imam Sajjad
(as), “It is narrated form the Prophet (pbuh) that a
child has certain rights that his father has to observe;
for example, he should choose a good name for his child
try to train him appropriately, and provide him with
good opportunities in life.” (Bahar, vol. 74, p.
85)
The emphasis upon training the children appropriately
is not only rooted in their natural and human rights
(which, firstly parents and secondly governments have
the responsibility for observing) but also intended to
show that the correct training of a child today
guarantees the health of society tomorrow. This is
because, tomorrow this child might become the ruler of
the country or hold an important social responsibility.
However, even if he has a simple job, he will still
affect the whole society.
One of the important parts of a child’s education is
training his mind and soul and raising him into a
logical and thoughtful human being who has a great power
to discern the good from evil. The best of all people
are those who think and live wisely, think carefully
before doing or saying anything, are farsighted, and do
not feel ashamed when examining their own conscience.
One of the duties of the family and government is to
provide the context for children’s spiritual growth (3rd
and 30th principles in the Constitutional
Law). Some talents are shared by almost all students,
and some of them can be seen in only a few of them. As
we read in Imam Ali’s first sermon, the duty of a true
religion and true prophets is to awaken and activate
man’s hidden talents and abilities.
After prophets, this duty is on the shoulders of
families and governments. Since not all parents are
capable of providing children with a perfect training,
God has assigned this important duty to the leader of
society, i.e. the government.
Thinking philosophically is one of children’s
God-given abilities. This is because philosophy mainly
asks about the “why” of existence or non-existence of
objects and events. Any one who asks any questions in
this regard has entered the domain of philosophy, and if
he is helped to some extent, he can attain an acceptable
knowledge of the world.
A child’s questions reveal that his early primordial
nature (which can be assimilated to computer hardware)
is healthy. If the answers given are not enough or
convincing, he will not accept them and will continue
asking questions. This shows the child’s tendency to
“reason” in order to arrive at an “inference”. This is a
good sign of an ability that must be trained following
specific training programs.
The Qur’an tells us that Islam is the same as being in
harmony with nature, and that is why it attaches great
importance to listening to the voice of nature and
following its rules. Islam tells us that theology or
attaining the knowledge of God is an instinct and a
hidden part of every human’s nature. Inspired by his
instinct, the child looks for God and the realities of
the world and formulates some questions unconsciously.
Therefore, it is a religious command to pave the way for
him to do so.
On the basis of what was said above, we can infer the
Islamic and Qur’anic theories concerning the training of
the child and leading him towards philosophy and wisdom.
*Are there any difficulties and obstacles involved in
teaching philosophy to children? If so, would you please
explain?
This job, like many other social endeavors, involves
some difficulties: first, spreading philosophy (wisdom),
i.e. what should ornament the souls and minds of all
people and can change the form of society, requires
extreme subtlety. Nevertheless, expert analyses and
meticulous, scientific, and technical programs can
facilitate these difficulties and bring philosophy and
wisdom among people in the society.
Second, social activities, whether scientific,
cultural, charitable, economic, and the like, will not
go anywhere without the government’s help. Government,
which is a legal entity, is an umbrella term under which
any kind of person can be found. They usually have
various responsibilities and deal with non-governmental
organizations and people.
Now, if these people, who are the tools for
facilitating tasks and helping to achieve cultural and
social goals, have an incorrect perception of the nature
of cultural activities and tasks or have a correct one
but, for some reasons, sabotage and obstruct them,
social purposes cannot be attained.
Third, we do not yet have the necessary tools to
accomplish this task in a general form and as a social
act in order to promote the level of training and spread
knowledge. In other words, the necessary tools for this
job have not yet been completely defined, understood,
and prepared. The initial steps for this task should be
taken at schools. Moreover, it is necessary that the
cinema, television, the internet, and other effective
media be at the service of reaching this goal in a
guided way. On the whole, this task should be programmed
and executed in a comprehensive and all-inclusive manner
in societies, families, and schools.
In some countries, philosophy is taught appropriately
even in prison under such programs as “Philosophy for
Felons” and “Philosophy Goes to Prisons”. Some special
environments such as schools are also used for
publicizing philosophy.
Fourth, the execution of the project of philosophy for
children requires some profound, scientific studies of
child psychology and finding a “particular language for
children”. However, in spite of the many books that have
been written and many studies that have been conducted
in this regard in the world, the necessary
pre-requisites for this project do not yet exist in
Iran. Unfortunately, philosophical and technical
training of children has not yet turned into an
independent science in our country. Presently, it is
simply a teaching technique, and this creates some
problems in the technical teaching of philosophy to
children and adolescents.
There are also some other problems in this regard
which are inherent in all cultural and social activities
and can be reduced or removed in the course of the
process of execution. The most important knot here,
which requires a skillful and able hand to be untied, is
the little sensitivity, not to say negligence,
concerning new fundamental cultural issues.
At first sight, it seems that the authorities, in
addition to having a lot of mental and practical
occupations regarding daily and, sometimes, useless
affairs, have no correct perception of fruitful and
constructive cultural goals and programs. Worst of all,
they run away from new cultural projects and activities.
The damage of this phenomenon concerning the pathology
of the process of the cultural growth of the country is
no less than the damage of the obstructions created by
the internal and foreign enemies of such projects. Here,
we are referring to enemies who are sitting in the
corners of various offices and sabotage basic and useful
cultural activities in different ways. For example, when
it comes to the required budget for new beneficial
projects and inevitable activities, they react so coldly
and, sometimes, bitterly that those in charge of such
endeavors are discouraged and regret their involvement
in such activities.
One of the problems with the management of our country
is that most of the managers base their policies on the
economic dimension and usually deal with cultural issues
by means of empty words and complements and a kind of
negligence. The significance of cultural issues and
their priority over other constitutions still becomes
clearer, even if we attach absolutely no value to
cultural affairs and consider economic issues and the
principle of productivity, which is the ultimate goal of
economic activities, as the only criteria for judging a
country’s situation,. This is because huge amounts of
money are spent on the health, safety, training,
education, and artistic and athletic abilities of the
youth. However, if they are not culturally oriented, or
if no cultural work is done on them, they will simply
fall in the trap of betraying their country or murdering
and hurting other people. As a result, no benefit will
be gained from such an expenditure of money and economic
investment; the economic purposes will not be attained;
and the entire budget invested in these people will be
wasted. Here, the importance of the role of culture and
good training in developing the characters of young
members of the society is revealed to us. Even if we
follow a purely economic worldview, cultural issues in
combination with developing a good mind and healthy
spirit is still a significant parameter for economic
productivity. Thus it should not be ignored in national
programs.
As we can see, the new method of exploitation attacks
nations by targeting their culture rather than fighting
their armies or confronting their diplomacy. Therefore,
it is a “must” for authorities to find a solution to
this problem.
*How much attention has this cultural-training field
received in Iran, and which noteworthy activities have
been performed in their regard?
I have not seen any serious activity in this regard in
responsible organizations and governmental centers.
About ten years ago, at the time of founding the
Headquarters for Holding the World Congress on Mulla
Sadra, when we faced this theoretical and practical
movement in the West, there was no reference to it in
any media or center.
The authorities of the above headquarters and Sadra
Islamic Philosophy Institute, which was founded later,
frequently stipulated or referred to philosophy for
children in the mass media and in the advertisements for
the headquarters' activities in the hope that perhaps
the authorities be motivated to make a move in this
regard.
Nevertheless, after about ten years, no research or
practical work, and in your words, noteworthy movement,
has been done in relation to this important training and
educational program in any organization except in Sadra
Islamic Philosophy Institute. Of course, sentences about
philosophy for children are rarely seen in some press.
However, if by a new movement one refers to the one
that started about four or five decades ago in the West
and has gradually spread in the world, I must admit that
the essence of this program and activity is useful. If
we can publicize it in Iran, it can make our children
get used to thinking, reasoning, locating fallacies,
learning along with creativity and criticism, and
independent (ijtihadi) analysis.
Since the beginning of its establishment and even
before that, the authorities in the Headquarters for
Holding the First World Congress on Mulla Sadra in
Tehran, Sadra Islamic Philosophy Institute had concluded
that publicizing correct philosophical thinking among
children and even training them to get used to reasoning
and independent and logical judgment in all affairs are
extremely important and useful. In fact, this institute
started some research activities and studies in the
following three fields: 1) Philosophy for the public; 2)
philosophy for adolescents and the youth; and 3)
teaching critical thinking (or philosophy for children)
in schools.
From among the above fields, the institute has focused
its activities mainly on philosophy for children and
“teaching thinking during childhood”. In this way, it
has attained some considerable experience and results,
which are very useful to training and education and give
us the hope of a better future.
The activities and studies of the institute in this
field are divided into two main types:
The first is the theoretical and practical study of
philosophy for children in school, family, and other
organizations. Here, most of the works written on this
topic in the world have been studied and discussed, and
various points, views, approaches, methods, and the
theories of related experts have been collected.
Through inspiration from the Qur’an and hadith,
Islamic culture has had a profound view of the mental
and spiritual training of children centuries before
Westerners did. Accordingly, in addition to the study of
Western written and practical works, this institute has
paid great attention to educational teachings of Islam
and Islamic culture and tried to devise a series of
theories which are more complete and accurate than those
in Western philosophy through the combination of these
two trends.
The second is the practical and applied studies of
this institute on the basis of scientific principles and
experiences. It has started its work at various levels
in schools (primary, middle, and high schools) by
holding some philosophy classes for students. With the
cooperation of Western experts on May 21, when the
Second World Congress on Mulla Sadra began, the
institute held a workshop and obtained a lot of
invaluable experience.
Obviously, ten years is not a short time. During this
period, our experts and practitioners in the institute
gained a lot of experience and knowledge in various
theoretical and practical fields in schools. Today, a
group of people are working on this issue and are ready
to present their achievements and experiences concerning
philosophy for children for use to volunteer schools.
A number of well-known international centers know this
institute as an international and well-credited center
in the world. We are sure that if we take the first step
for philosophical exchanges, they will welcome it
warmly. In fact, they are enthusiastically waiting for
our traditional and Islamic viewpoints.
*In your
view, do people, in general, and parents, in
particular, agree with these projects and training
methods?
Our society demands them wholeheartedly. Iranian
society is a living community which is in the process of
making a choice. It has a sublime spirit and enjoys a
rich philosophical background. It follows both
traditional and Islamic principles in the process of
thinking, and, as the Holy Qur’an commands, chooses the
best from among all statements and thoughts.
In the Second World Congress on Mulla Sadra in May
2004 in Tehran, and along with the practical programs of
the congress, Sadra Islamic Philosophy Institute held a
workshop in order to execute the program of children’s
cooperative thinking and inquiry. This was a part of the
project of critical thinking and philosophy for children
which was supervised and conducted by a French expert,
Dr. Oscar Brenifier.
No advertisement had been made for this workshop and
not more than 10 to 20 people were expected to attend
it. However, it was so enthusiastically welcomed by
families that all the chairs of the big hall were
occupied, and a lot of people were standing. In fact,
there was not even any standing room left. The session
was as exciting as if there was a play or a sports match
going on. This unexpected reception revealed how much
both children and their parents appreciate and need the
teaching of philosophy to children. In the middle of all
this, the government and the authorities in the Ministry
of Education have paid the least attention to this
issue. Unfortunately, Sadra Islamic Philosophy Institute
has not yet been able to employ its experience and
programs in the appropriate organizations so that our
country, like many of the developed countries with an
advanced training culture, can benefit from this
philosophical method, which has historical roots in our
religion and Islamic culture.
*Please speak about some of the future programs of Sadra
Islamic Institute.
Our institute will carry out an extensive project on
philosophy for children in the future. It entails both
practical research and theoretical studies. Of course,
we are already involved in some activities in this
regard, and this project will continue the line of work
which is already being done. Our purpose here is to make
the authorities and the public pay attention to this
project and help its widespread execution in the
country.
Sadra Islamic Philosophy Institute has several
projects in other fields; however, due to having a lot
of other work and lacking enough qualified manpower,
they have not yet been put to practice. When the project
of philosophy for children is completely done and
concluded, this institute will be able to do its other
projects.
At this point, I would like to invite those who are
interested in this project or similar ones to come to
Sadra Islamic Philosophy Institute and put their own
projects into practice. Moreover, they can cooperate
with us in conducting important national projects.
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