On the role of enlightenment in the modern education
- Saint-Petersburg Mining University
Abstract
The paper analyzes notions ‘education’ and ‘enlightenment’, their commonalities and differences. It is proven that though in ordinary perception these notions are treated as synonyms, from the standpoint of philosophical discourse it is not quite so. It makes sense to understand ‘enlightenment’ as the most profound cultural level of education, cultural maturity of a person (a society), a high level of personal development (both moral and intellectual), mental development, freedom from ignorance and prejudice. Enlightenment is opposed to ‘the smatterers’ (a term introduced by the famous writer), which tends to combine superficial awareness with cultural immaturity and even moral savagery. The paper presents the author’s reflections on promotion of enlightenment in our times and challenges on this path. Each era brings forth its own Enlightenment, its own ideas of education and ignorance, intelligence and stupidity, and eventually of the good and the evil. Enlightenment principles in very general terms may look the same for the 17-18th centuries and for modern times (for example, Descartes principle ‘to doubt everything’), but it is hardly probable that antischolastic, antimedieval nature of this principle is highly relevant for the present days. Many ideas of the New European Enlightenment great by their nature did not with- stand the tough test of the 20th century: blatant idealization of man and social relations was erroneous, and emotional and irrational side of the human nature, its potential propensity to nihilism and destructiveness, to the lust for power and violence was underestimated. Abilities of the mind, justified in scientific knowledge and technology were not justified in moral, political, social, and ideological sense. The ‘light of mind’ as a basis of any Enlightenment turned out to be too faint to illuminate the paths of people and enlighten them despite great achievements in science and technology. The spirit of Enlightenment by the beginning of the 21st century has not yet defeated the spirit of violence, fanatism and irrationalism. Apparently New Enlightenment is needed, which will not just illuminate the path of an imperfect man, but will teach him to live with dignity, skillfully using his own ‘lamp of Diogenes’. Everything said about the role of enlightenment in the modern education has direct implications for the educational process at the St. Petersburg Mining University, the goal of which as recently formulated by the Rector in his address to the associates of the Mining University is not only to train highly qualified specialists, but to raise ‘real Russian intellectuals, distinguished by their high level of education, high moral and ethical standards, decency and nobility of the soul’.
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