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Valerian Petrov - PhD,
associate professor of Intercultural Communication Department of Mari State University
Yoshkar-Ola, Russia

Philosophy of education in solution of global problems of today

Philosophy of education is becoming a necessary reality in modern society and has a significant influence on the development, prosperity, security and the future of a man and the whole world.

Systemically, education puts an individual in a certain society or in a particular social order typical for a concrete group of people. According to S.I. Gessen, the founder of the philosophy of pedagogy, “education is nothing but an instrument of continuation of one’s social existence, a constant regeneration of class, state or nation in new generations, means of social immortality” [1, p. 197].

An individual develops in the process of education, not only as a representative of a concrete society, but also as a creator of the future society. With his mind through creative labour he creates material and spiritual benefits, certain conditions for the further development of society and the entire humanity. As a result of training and education, a person develops certain personality traits. Thanks to philosophical component of education a person gains not only knowledge, but also wisdom, virtue and magnanimity, willingness to do good and wise things. So it was at all times, so it is now and will be in the foreseeable future.

In the context of globalization education is becoming a main factor of the development and strengthening of the intellectual potential of an individual. The field of education in modern civilization creates human personality, contributes to realization of potential of this personality necessary for the existence and life in today’s global community of people separated by features of national culture, spiritual and moral values ​​which are formed and fixed by historical customs and traditions.

In connection with the improvement of the basic spheres of social life (economic, social, political and spiritual) requirements for education of the entire world community are also changing. In the context of globalization there is penetration of cultures and civilizations into each sphere of social life. As a result, national education systems undergo profound modification as well as educational space in the whole world. International integration processes in politics and economics require a person to be able not only to adapt to a single socio-economic space, but also take an active part in the forward movement of modern civilization, regardless of their nationality or place of residence.

At the beginning of the new millennium, there is a tendency towards an increase in the value of education. Social processes in education confirm the thesis that value of education in the long term may become dominant in intellectual and creative life of a person.

Since its inception up to the present philosophy accompanies the process of training and education of the younger generation, expressly or by implication. It determines the level of civilization in each specific historical period of human development, focusing on the problems of education and training, for pedagogy as a science is inconceivable without philosophy.

Humanity poses new challenges to education. We focus on the issue of philosophical understanding of modern education, which is engaged in the research of one of the branches of philosophical knowledge – the philosophy of education.

The philosophy of education as an independent scientific discipline is a relatively young field of philosophical knowledge. As we know, the main point of the development of the philosophy of education was the creation of the International Association “International Network of Philosophers of Education” (August 1990) and the declaration of UNESCO (the beginning of the 90s of the twentieth century) according to which one of the foreground tasks is the development of the concept of the philosophy of education of XXI century.

In the context of globalization one of the most important tasks for the philosophy of education is to unite the efforts of all philosophers who study the problems of education in a single philosophical field. This is facilitated by the following factors:

1. Problems of philosophical understanding of education in modern society spread across the world community.

In the West, philosophy of education is represented by a number of branches: a) critical theory and education; b) philosophical issues of critical thinking; c) pedagogical management; d) historical survey of the philosophy of education; d) the philosophy of education in Western Europe; e) positivism, anti-positivism and empiricism in education; e) philosophical issues of pedagogy; g) philosophical problems of the training of teachers and educators. [2] Many aspects of these studies are relevant to the educational systems of many countries and continents, including Russia.

2. National educational systems are actively integrated into the planetary educational space. Thus, the modernization of education in Russia is aimed at aligning the elements of its educational system with the Bologna process.

3. Integration processes in the economy are the driving force of globalization. There is a need of training professionals in all spheres of economic relations, capable to work together in the framework of international law, international standards.

4. Expansion of intercultural communication based on the interpenetration of foreign languages ​​into national educational spheres.

In many states, it has become the norm to teach two foreign languages ​​in colleges (not only specialized), comprehensive schools, including the Russian Federation. The student exchange between two or more countries, sending the most talented students to study at prestigious universities in Europe and the U.S. (used in Russia for a concrete state program), internship for graduate and postgraduate students from Russia in European countries and the USA are also widely used.

5. Dynamic development of international information and communication technologies.

Let us consider the role of information and communication technologies (ICT) in education. They have no national boundaries. Innovative educational technologies, including in philosophy, such as ICTs provide the opportunity for any citizen of the world to get an education in any educational institution of the planet.

All these features of modern education require philosophical reflection. Socio-philosophical study of the problems and ways of changing the modern education should be implemented in the following directions: analysis of vocational education, the study of humanization of the educational process, integration of science and education, an approach to education as a socio-frame basis of the innovative economy, substantiation of the role of education in the transmission of culture and its educational function.

The main issues of the philosophy of education in XXI century become multiparadigmatics of pedagogical knowledge, change of the structure of education in the information-oriented society, the origin of a range of sciences studying education. Striking examples of the development of the philosophy of education are the World Philosophical Forum (Athens, Greece, 2010-2014), Socratic philosophical school and its branches all over the world. Scientists, outstanding philosophers, public figures and statesmen contribute to the unification of humanity, prevention of war, environmental disaster and a person’s inner crisis through public presentation of their humanistic ideas. Thus, a philosophical community should pay close attention to the joint search for the basic ideals and principles of explanation of both current and emerging “educational realities”, its conceptual framework and methodological research program.

In the context of global processes in all spheres of information society a person who is a representative of any national educational space becomes a member of the planetary society. Intellectual capabilities, knowledge of languages ​​of intercultural communication, the use of information and communication technologies in the Internet allow people of the Earth participate consciously or unconsciously in the global processes, thus they become active citizens of the planet.

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Literature

1. Gessen, S.I. On the concept and purpose of moral education / S.I. Gessen. Pedagogical writings. - Saransk, 2001.

2. The International Encyclopedia of Education. 2-nd ed. Vol. 1-12. Oxford, 1994.