Bouchiba: Ibn Battuta and Confucius Share a Vision of Ethics and Knowledge as Foundations of Civilizations
ALDAR/
During his address at a scientific conference held on Thursday, November 5, 2026, at the Confucius Institute of Mohammed V University in Rabat, under the theme “Dialogue Between Moroccan and Chinese Civilizations: Ibn Battuta and Wang Dayuan, the Twin Stars of the Silk Road and Messengers of Civilization,” Nasser Bouchiba, President of the African-Chinese Cooperation Association for Development, a researcher specializing in Chinese studies and a member of the World Confucian Association, discussed the intellectual and civilizational parallels between the experiences of Moroccan explorer Ibn Battuta and Chinese philosopher Confucius.
Bouchiba noted that Confucius lived during a period marked by political and moral turmoil, when China was experiencing division. This context led him to view the decline of moral values as a danger that could be even more serious than the collapse of political authority itself.
Accordingly, the Chinese philosopher focused on fundamental concepts, including “Ren,” which refers to humanity and compassion, and “Li,” associated with moral order and disciplined conduct. His philosophy was rooted in the belief that reforming the state begins with reforming the individual.
For his part, Bouchiba pointed out that Ibn Battuta’s travels, although not directly conceived as a philosophical or political project, also reveal his interest in issues of order, stability and justice within the societies he visited. In this regard, he referred to the Moroccan traveller’s account of China, which went beyond highlighting its wealth and prosperity to examine aspects such as security, trust in commercial transactions and administrative organization. According to the speaker, these elements reflect the close relationship between the strength of civilizations and their ability to achieve social harmony and balance.
Drawing on these two historical figures, Bouchiba emphasized that one of the most significant commonalities between their experiences lies in their shared emphasis on ethics as a fundamental pillar of social stability.
