Educational Justice in the Opinions of Seyyed Muhammad Baqir Sadr and John Rawls: A Comparative Analysis

Realizing educational justice is one of the common goals of social reformers and educational policymakers. Considering the ideological foundations and social context, philosophers have explained the theoretical foundations of justice and its dimensions in different ways. The aim of research was to compare this concept from the point of view of the Shiite philosopher Seyed Mohammad Baqir Sadr with opinion of the liberal philosopher John Rawls with an emphasis on educational justice. The research method was qualitatively comparative, and documentary method has been used to collect data. For data analysis, Fairclough s critical discourse analysis method, which shows the role of social text in the discourse of two philosophers, was used. The first finding of the research revealed that Rawls and Sadr s common view of justice – and its types - as a moral virtue can easily ignore the role of cultural/social factors in the analysis of this concept. Another finding of the research is that the opinions of two philosophers imply the emphasis on right to education - as a basic need - on the basis of fair equality. Also, while Rawls considers the government mainly responsible for providing justice, Sadr insists on the role of the Islamic government and social takaful. In addition, in Rawls s thought, man is an active being who, through the principles of collective life and social contracts, achieves a common understanding about the concept, dimensions and way of realizing justice. On the contrary, Sadr s interpretation of justice is mainly religious. Another finding of the research indicates that Rawls emphasizes the establishment of educational justice by citing principles such as the original good, ignorance, fair equality and the role of a democratic and liberal society, while the principles accepted by Sadr include religion’s role, revelation, social takaful and social balance.