HOLISTIC EDUCATION IN THE EUROPEAN SOCIO-CULTURAL SPACE IN THE EARLY MODERN PERIOD

Abstract

The article presents a historical-pedagogical analysis of the content and development of the humanistic idea of holistic education in the European socio-cultural space during the Early Modern Period. It traces the value-based interpretations of the idea of holistic education within both secular (Renaissance humanism) and religious (Christian humanism) worldviews of the early modern era. The study reveals that the concept of holistic education was formulated within the philosophical and cultural discourse of Renaissance humanism. It is noted that the Renaissance ideal of holistic education was based on three key components: first, the virtues of broad erudition, intellectual culture, and the art of rhetoric; second, moral principles focused on the ideals of goodness, virtue, modesty, and personal inner culture, as well as Christian priorities of love and compassion; third, the recognition of the individual as the highest value, grounded in the dignity and rights of the person, and the idea of comprehensive and harmonious development of one’s abilities and talents. This also includes the Renaissance virtues of active engagement, initiative, industriousness, persistence, and the appreciation of physical beauty and courage. It is shown that the institutionalization of the idea of holistic education was carried out through the educational activities of Protestant gymnasiums, Jesuit colleges, brotherhood schools, and other educational institutions founded in the context of Protestant Reformation, Catholic Reformation, and religious reforms in the East Slavic lands. The article outlines the civilizational and human-creative significance of the concept of holistic education for the formation of modern European civilization.