Simon Soloveychik
Encyclopedia
Simon L'vovich Soloveychik (1930-1996) was a Russian publicist, educator and philosopher.
in 1953 he worked as a boys and girls scouts leader, a secondary school teacher, and a correspondent of Pioneer magazine.
In 1960 he worked for the newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda, where he launched a wide theme named "Aly parus" (Scarlet Sail), where he published articles on humanism
and morality
.
In mid-1980 he initiated a new scientific-practical pedagogical movement - pedagogy of cooperation. From that perspective upbringing of a child was considered not as an influence upon a child but as a dialog between educator and a student. He also regularly published pedagogical articles in the Novoe vremya (New Time) magazine.
In 1992 Soloveychik founded and lead the newspaper Pervoy sentyabrya (First of September), which promoted humanistic pedagogical ideas.
In 1994 Simon Soloveychik wrote the manifest "Chelovek Svobodny" ("Free Man"), in which he briefly and clearly wrote the basic philosophical ideas of upbringing of a free man, and he gave definitions of such concepts as internal freedom and conscience
, explained what a free child is, what a free school is, and what the way to raising free men is.
Parenting For Everyone
The main work of his life is his book Pedagogika dlya vseh (Parenting For Everyone
) (1977-1986), where he shared his philosophical insights on the goals, mean
s and condition
s of parenting
free children; he explained how to raise the heart
, intelligence
and spirit
of a free man, and underlined the faults of conventional approaches to parenting.
According to Soloveychik, parenting is the science about the art of upbringing children. The main idea in upbringing is that parents by all means should increase a child's dignity
.
Brief biography
After graduating Moscow State UniversityMoscow State University
Lomonosov Moscow State University , previously known as Lomonosov University or MSU , is the largest university in Russia. Founded in 1755, it also claims to be one of the oldest university in Russia and to have the tallest educational building in the world. Its current rector is Viktor Sadovnichiy...
in 1953 he worked as a boys and girls scouts leader, a secondary school teacher, and a correspondent of Pioneer magazine.
In 1960 he worked for the newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda, where he launched a wide theme named "Aly parus" (Scarlet Sail), where he published articles on humanism
Humanism
Humanism is an approach in study, philosophy, world view or practice that focuses on human values and concerns. In philosophy and social science, humanism is a perspective which affirms some notion of human nature, and is contrasted with anti-humanism....
and morality
Morality
Morality is the differentiation among intentions, decisions, and actions between those that are good and bad . A moral code is a system of morality and a moral is any one practice or teaching within a moral code...
.
In mid-1980 he initiated a new scientific-practical pedagogical movement - pedagogy of cooperation. From that perspective upbringing of a child was considered not as an influence upon a child but as a dialog between educator and a student. He also regularly published pedagogical articles in the Novoe vremya (New Time) magazine.
In 1992 Soloveychik founded and lead the newspaper Pervoy sentyabrya (First of September), which promoted humanistic pedagogical ideas.
In 1994 Simon Soloveychik wrote the manifest "Chelovek Svobodny" ("Free Man"), in which he briefly and clearly wrote the basic philosophical ideas of upbringing of a free man, and he gave definitions of such concepts as internal freedom and conscience
Conscience
Conscience is an aptitude, faculty, intuition or judgment of the intellect that distinguishes right from wrong. Moral judgement may derive from values or norms...
, explained what a free child is, what a free school is, and what the way to raising free men is.
Parenting For EveryoneParenting For EveryoneParenting For Everyone is a book by Simon Soloveychik."Not many of us can love children, even our own children. Not many of us are wise enough to control our own behavior. Not many of us can avoid anger and be in command of ourselves. In most cases we are tired and irritated. But children...
The main work of his life is his book Pedagogika dlya vseh (Parenting For EveryoneParenting For Everyone
Parenting For Everyone is a book by Simon Soloveychik."Not many of us can love children, even our own children. Not many of us are wise enough to control our own behavior. Not many of us can avoid anger and be in command of ourselves. In most cases we are tired and irritated. But children...
) (1977-1986), where he shared his philosophical insights on the goals, mean
Mean
In statistics, mean has two related meanings:* the arithmetic mean .* the expected value of a random variable, which is also called the population mean....
s and condition
Condition
-Logic:* Logical conditional* Necessary and sufficient condition, condition of another means that the former statement is true if and only if the latter is true-Computer programming:* Conditions, a generalization of exceptions in exception-handling...
s of parenting
Parenting
Parenting is the process of promoting and supporting the physical, emotional, social, and intellectual development of a child from infancy to adulthood...
free children; he explained how to raise the heart
Heart
The heart is a myogenic muscular organ found in all animals with a circulatory system , that is responsible for pumping blood throughout the blood vessels by repeated, rhythmic contractions...
, intelligence
Intelligence
Intelligence has been defined in different ways, including the abilities for abstract thought, understanding, communication, reasoning, learning, planning, emotional intelligence and problem solving....
and spirit
Spirit
The English word spirit has many differing meanings and connotations, most of them relating to a non-corporeal substance contrasted with the material body.The spirit of a living thing usually refers to or explains its consciousness.The notions of a person's "spirit" and "soul" often also overlap,...
of a free man, and underlined the faults of conventional approaches to parenting.
According to Soloveychik, parenting is the science about the art of upbringing children. The main idea in upbringing is that parents by all means should increase a child's dignity
Dignity
Dignity is a term used in moral, ethical, and political discussions to signify that a being has an innate right to respect and ethical treatment. It is an extension of the Enlightenment-era concepts of inherent, inalienable rights...
.
"Soloveychik was a classic member of the Russian intelligentsia, focused on underlying ideas and their significance, rather than on what was practical or expedient. He wrote always in defense of teachers and their work... Perhaps the organizing idea of Soloveychik's work was expressed in a remark he … made to a visiting American educator who wanted Soloveychik's reaction to some new psychological theory. "You know," said Simon L'vovich, "everyone thinks that the essence of pedagogy is in psychologyPsychologyPsychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
, but it's not. The essence of pedagogy is in ethicsEthicsEthics, also known as moral philosophy, is a branch of philosophy that addresses questions about morality—that is, concepts such as good and evil, right and wrong, virtue and vice, justice and crime, etc.Major branches of ethics include:...
." It would be a fitting epitaph for this courageous writer and intellectual." — from obituary by Stephen Kerr 10/18/96