Kinalizade's views on the moral education of children

Abstract

Kinalizade (1510-1572) is an important moralist who lived in the sixteenth century Ottoman society. He details his views on ethics in his book Ahlak-i Ala'i, which consists of three parts. The first part contains the problems of individual ethics and ethics in general, the second deals with family ethics and the third is about state ethics and political philosophy. The issue of the education of children is one of the significant issues that Kinalizade tackles and he has strong views on the role of parents in the process of educating children. According to Kinalizade, in a phrase that foreshadows John Locke's later concept of the tabula rasa, 'a child's mind is pure and is exposed to every kind of influence'. For this reason, Kinalizade aims to remind parents of their responsibilities and the book is addressed, in the main, to them. In his opinion, there are some important points that should not be neglected in the process of the moral education of children. This article aims to evaluate these points.