A Comparative Study on the Philosophical Foundations of the Educational Thoughts of Farabi and Ghazali

The purpose of education and how should man, who is the final product of education, be, has always been a controversial and important issue which has affected many educational doctrines. Using descriptive- analytical method, the present paper reviews the philosophical foundations of the educational thoughts of Farabi and Ghazali. Farabi’s ontological principles depict God as the Universal Intellect, the Necessary Existent and the creator of world and its order and coordination. In his view, in order to achieve this epistemological goal, different forms of knowledge must be considered. In Farabi's axiological system, man aims for happiness, and to this end, he needs to know the factors of correct behavior. Through education, all the existential capacities of man should develop. In his ontology, Ghazali believes in theocentrism and teleology. In epistemology, man, through his reason and senses, gains knowledge by the ordinary education in schools. He notes moral education and regards realization of human happiness as the philosophical basis of education.