O szkole jezuickiej inaczej. Renesansowy fundament tradycyjnej szkoły humanistyczno-filozoficznej

Abstract

The paper discusses the humanistic-philosophical conditions of the traditional Jesuit school, especially in the context of that school system which had dominated in Poland for three centuries. The Jesuit school, according to the goals of that order, was integrally connected with its evangelizational function. This is why it was treated as the main tool of Counterreformation. One can, however, show its Renaissance roots which account for an extended study of classical culture, especially the Latin one. To educate a good speaker it was necessary one should have trained him not only to speak accurately from the linguistic and logical points of view. He should have also gained indispensable real knowledge as a condition of good argumentation. His speech should have been suggestive and beautiful. The tool of that purpose was the study of ancient literature, i.e. teaching literary taste and an extended vocabulary, real knowledge crowned by a study of philosophy and theology. In the form of a minimum curriculum it was present within the framework of stu d ia huinanitatis. All this had made it that humansitic education was preferred, yet it did not mean that the linguistic school was reduced to formal education, as it is stressed in literature. Theory and educational practice were an opportunity to stress the educational character of that type of schooling, especially in the aspect of extended historical problems. They were valuable as regards religious and moral formation, and what is more important, again counter the traditional opinion, they were also patriotic. The topic of rhetorical exercises and the Jesuit theatre show the commitment of the Jesuit school in home culture, and that was even the reason why it was assessed negatively. At the same time, the paper has pointed out that didactic practice was always corrected, in respect to Ratio studiormn. New pedagogical trends were made use of, a fact which made the Enlightenment reforms possible. Those reforms tended to a more encyclopedic curriculum, first of all through the extension of real education as regards the Humanities (history and geography) and philosophy, enriched by the achievements of modern natural philosophy.