Spiritual-educational ideas of Antiquity in the light of post-metaphysical ontology of education

The problems of modern education are discussed in various aspects today: pedagogical, psychological, sociological. Philosophical-anthropological comprehension of the phenomenon of education differs, first of all, by its ontological conception as a special way of human being. In this article the author makes an attempt of demonstrating the antique spiritual-educational practice of self-cognition as a possible base for construction of the post-metaphysical ontology of education. It is shown that the antique philosophical-educational tradition has a valuable methodological potential which can be used in the theoretical comprehension of the phenomenon of education in the conditions of the 21st century. A special attention is paid to the conception of education as a process of creative self-construction of the human by classical thinkers. Such comprehension of education is topical today since modern social reality is changeable in everything, and people must constantly create themselves as new ones. A theoretical differentiation between education as an individual self-creation (''care of oneself') and communicative co-education with another one (''care of another one'') has been shown in the article. It has been demonstrated that the antique spiritual practice of self-cognition and self-education which had a nature of elitism and aristocracy in ancient times becomes a standard in education nowadays. The thesis that a special attention should be paid to the process of educational self-determination of human for achievement and efficiency of the modern education is stated. The considered ideas of some thinkers of the antiquity demonstrate that education is, first of all, the formation of culture of the person, formation of the human capable of educating oneself and promoting other humans' education. An attempt of interpreting the socratic method of maieutics as an educational practice, the purpose of which is stimulation of the human to self-transformation, as distinct from the external pedagogical influence is made in the article. The attention to this method is caused by its basing on the developing skills of subject's self-revealing by means of reflexive exposing and improving of personal principles, which modern educational practice demands. ''External culture'', which makes a powerful forcing influence on the modern human limits essentially the skills of genuine self-determination and self-realisation. Classical practice teaches reflexive scrutinizing oneself, developing and improving individual peculiarities the human has. The author regards as possible the theoretical construction of the post-metaphysical ontology of education on the base of the specific spiritual-educational ideas of the antiquity, in which education was considered as a self-creating way of human being.

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