Fichte on national upbringing: from the Enlightenment to paideia

Abstract

The article is based on the analysis of Fichte’s “Speeches to the German nation” and regards the problem of national upbringing which is of current interest in Russia as a multinational country. Under French occupation Fichte as the Wissenschaft slehre’s author was seeking an answer to the question: how an invincible nation could be formed? His answer was the following: this could be done only by introducing a new form of upbringing based on the philosophy. In opposition to the Enlightenment project new upbringing forms a human being as a human being, not as a member of a civil society. This assumption juxtaposes his plan of national upbringing and ancient Greek’s paideia as it was approached by W. Jaeger. Special place in this plan, initially connected with Pestalozzi’s pedagogic, takes philosophical education of scientists who should take the role of the upbringing of future generations.

Keywords:

nation, national upbringing, philosophical education, Fichte