The Freedom to Learn: Rogers Meets Davydov (The Contours of a New Philosophy of Education)

The article address the similarity of V.V. Davydov and C. Rogers views on the issue of ability to learn as a key one in the modern education. It is discussed that learning in ordinary school does not appear in form of personal growth of students: the child is not interested in academic subjects since he/she is not interested in own-self as a person, being mediocre and ordinary in their daily educational accomplishments. The sources of personal growth in developing education are discussed. The position of the teacher in developing education is analyzed. The concept of theoretical attitude to reality is examined. We show that in the Elkonin-Davydov system the preconditions of a new philosophy of education are provided. We also stress that the education serves as a form of axiological attitude of society and state towards the man as a personality and not just as a socially useful individual and thus as a form of personalized communication. The logic of research priorities in the Davydov theory is reconstructed.