The problem of discovering new knowledge in the works of St. Feofan the Recluse

The article reveals the essence of innovation processes in the context of modern scientific approaches aimed at finding answers to the questions: what is creativity? development of creative abilities? The author draws attention to the fact that modern science, while defining creativity itself as a whole, cannot yet determine the nature of human creative abilities, and this, in the author’s opinion, is not accidental. Understanding how a person gains new knowledge or makes a discovery is impossible with research approaches that exclude the spiritual principle in a person. The article reveals an approach aimed at understanding man as an initially spiritual being. Spirituality is the most important characteristic of a person and is manifested in the ability of knowledge, guidance by the voice of conscience, and the desire for perfection. It is the spiritual sphere that determines the norm of humanity. The patristic heritage allows us to get closer to comprehending the secrets of spirituality and spiritual knowledge, in particular the work of St. Theophan the Recluse, who substantiated the idea of ​​​​the synergy of the cognitive process as the unity of the thought process of man himself and the knowledge that God reveals to man. And since the spiritual principle is decisive in knowledge, then, accordingly, it is necessary to put spiritual knowledge into the basis of mental education, which will become the most important condition for the development of a person’s creative abilities. Thus, the teachings of Theophan the Recluse make it possible to correctly understand and organize mental education, which makes possible not only a correct understanding of creativity and human creative abilities, but also the real development of the latter. As the main mechanism for the development of modern Russian society, characterized by its transition to a post-industrial (information) state, innovative activity is now being established in all spheres of social life, including education, since it is known that education is the “catalyst for change” taking place in any sphere of society 1 . In this regard, the process of searching for new knowledge, its understanding and application acquires special significance, and in this context, the problem of constantly improving the system of human intellectual development arises. Therefore, today one of the most important requirements for education is the education of active, independent-thinking people responsible for their decisions, who could creatively solve non-standard problems in professional activities and everyday life. The problem of creating innovative education requires a revision of the previous educational paradigm, since “you cannot live in a new world together with the old store of knowledge” 2. Moreover, the creation of a new education system requires a reorientation of education from the formation of a person who knows to the formation of a person who understands. The work of many specialists in this field: philosophers, psychologists and teachers is devoted to the discovery and study of ways to obtain new knowledge and the development of the intellectual sphere of man. These works substantiate the idea that the concept of novelty is one of the most relevant not only for science, but also for other various spheres of modern society. Since the development of pedagogical science and education is carried out on the basis of an understanding of the essence of man, the justification of new theoretical knowledge, the development of any innovations in education presupposes a new vision of man, the embodiment of which will be aimed at pedagogical activity. According to a number of researchers (S.A. Amonashvili, A.S. Zapesotsky, A.A. Korolkov, V.A. Slastenin, V.I. Slobodchikov, etc.), “the anthropological principle in education sets the most general direction for the development of pedagogical theory and educational practice. Its content is modified depending on the meaning that a particular cultural era gives to the concept of “man” 3, and depending on the ideological vision of the very image of man. Therefore, O.V. Dolzhenko is deeply right in noting that it is man who is the starting point of innovation. Leading modern Russian scientists write about the need for research aimed at a holistic understanding of man, the development of his internal potential, his abilities, including creative ones, because only a creative person can create something new: A.G. Asmolov, B.M. Bim-Bad, D.I. Feldshtein, V.D. Shadrikov and others. We must not forget the fact that pedagogical innovations, while retaining the main features of innovative processes in other areas, differ from them primarily in that the “object” of the impact of innovations, the “subject” of their activity is the living, developing, unique personality of the student. It is precisely towards improving the process of development of this personality that any pedagogical innovations should be aimed” 4 . Today, the anthropological approach is one of the most promising in education (V.I. Slobodchikov and others) 5 , within the framework of which the “ultimate”, “fundamental” questions of existence and education are discussed: the origin of man, the purpose and purpose of his life, the internal structure, the essence of the spiritual and moral sphere, since without a true understanding of spirituality we will not be able to answer the question of what a person is. The last aspect is an important point in the joint development of secular and religious pedagogical thought, since religious anthropology and pedagogy have enormous potential for solving this problem, revealing a holistic vision of man and indicating adequate means for the formation of the “human in man”, the disclosure of his human potential. One significant point should be pointed out - secular pedagogy, which develops the problems of innovation, indicates that the nature of this kind of human abilities has not been fully studied. In this regard, V.N. Pushkin notes that various examples of heuristic activity and scientific discoveries have something in common: “this or that creative thought or decision comes suddenly, like some kind of revelation, as a result of the work of some mysterious forces unknown to man,” and “the nature of this brain work, unconscious to man, has not yet been revealed” 6 . It seems to us that the very solution to the problem of understanding the ways of obtaining new knowledge is impossible with research approaches that exclude the spiritual principle in man. Orthodox pedagogy says that the very process of improvement and transformation of a person is possible thanks to the presence of the spirit. Spirituality is the most important property of a person and is manifested in his need and ability to cognize the innermost essence of the world around him and himself (mind), that is, in the desire to know the truth; be guided in your activities by the highest values ​​and act in accordance with the voice of conscience, that is, in the pursuit of fulfilling virtues; finally, in the desire for perfection and beauty, which can be satisfied through the contemplation of beauty, and above all, communication with the Highest Principle, God. The designated range of manifestations of the spiritual sphere of the individual determines the “norm of humanity” (the actually human in a person) and provides ample opportunities for familiarization with absolute values, comprehension of truth, personal perfection and renewal of a person, i.e., the disclosure of truly human potential. It should be noted that this is the most important characteristic not only for religious teachings, but also for philosophical ones. Thus, G. W. F. Hegel wrote, although in a different context, that “only spiritual content, which has value and interest in itself and for itself, strengthens the soul and creates such an immediate support, such a substantial core, which is the mother of self-control, prudence, presence and vigilance of the spirit; it turns the soul grown on it into a core that has independent value, an absolute goal; only this constitutes the foundation of universal fitness, and it must be laid in all classes" 7 . So, the result of a person’s spiritual development is not only his spiritual transformation, but also the development of all “parts and powers” ​​of a person, thanks to which his holistic vision is gained. Changes in the internal structure of a person are reflected in the properties of his personality. As a result, consciousness and self-awareness are improved, and the dominance of reason is achieved (“thought precedes desire”). Human freedom rises to a new level, understood primarily as freedom from sin (transformation of the will). The heart, as the center of a person’s feelings, is also renewed, while the dominance of vices and passions is eradicated, and feelings are replenished with virtues. The human body, which is a “vessel of the soul and spirit,” is also transformed, as well as a necessary tool for organizing life on earth and a means of education for eternity. Along with such a holistic transformation of a person, changes also occur in the process of cognition. For example, this contributes to the understanding of thinking as the ability of cognition, understanding the world (thing, phenomenon, etc.) not as some abstract entity, but as an understanding of its “reasonable structure.” In addition to considering the general problem of cognition of the world, man, and phenomena, the spiritual approach also makes it possible to understand individual moments of cognition associated with the discovery of new knowledge. Thus, the most important problem of philosophy, psychology, anthropology, physiology and a number of other sciences is the problem of comprehending such phenomena as “intuition”, “illumination”, “insight”, etc. As we know, science - at the level of its great thinkers: A. Poincaré, A. Einstein, etc. - claims that this phenomenon represents a great mystery. The patristic heritage, including the teaching of St., helps us get closer to understanding this mystery. Theophan the Recluse. His teaching makes it possible to understand intuition as a spiritual phenomenon of human cognitive ability. The saint speaks about what, in fact, is the essence of intuition, insight, illumination: “It is especially remarkable that those enlightened by grace often contemplate the meaning of things without special help from reason, that is, their reason does not yet know the actual structure of things or knows it partially, but they already contemplate their meaning” 8. However, the initial stage of the process of cognition is the activity of the mind. Theophan the Recluse attributes reason to mental activity - it is “an ability directed towards the knowledge of the visible, created, finite” 9; it is focused on understanding the surrounding reality and operates with clearly formulated concepts and definitions. The activity of the mind is based on imagination and memory, which, with the help of feelings and observation, collect material for it. The intellect must transform all information collected in this way into clear concepts and form knowledge from them. Saint Theophan distinguishes two sides in the activity of the mind: formal and material. To the first, he includes the techniques that the mind uses to acquire the necessary knowledge: drawing up concepts, judgments and conclusions, generalization and development of thoughts. But the second side is more significant - it consists of objects to which the mind turns in the process of cognition: the properties and composition of things, cause and effect, goal and means. The basis for reason in both cases should be observation and experience, and the means should be generalization and “guidance,” in other words, reason makes generalizations, defines and develops thought. Science is the crown of the mental work of the mind. The work of reason contributes to the development in a person of certain good qualities, “virtues of reason,” as St. Theophan calls them: work, conscientiousness, attentive prudence (especially when working with facts), trust in others, etc. But the saint also identifies vices that are opposite to these good qualities - arrogance, imprudence, dishonesty, etc. He writes that for all its importance and necessity, reason has a significant flaw, even scientists: “Many of them have precise, complex, and sophisticated knowledge, while they apparently stand outside the kingdom of grace both in their way of thinking and in their lives.” However, “some visible successes persuade them to shun all help from above and encourage them to believe that they are safe and sound. But such self-confidence now exposes the unsoundness of their minds, for a healthy person always tangibly sees and points out his weaknesses and his infirmity. If now this arrogance is common to almost all strong minds, then all of them must be considered damaged” 10. Considering the shortcomings of reason as a whole, St. Theophan the Recluse notes the following among people alienated from God: for some, it acts only formally; others are more inclined to acquire knowledge itself and collect a wealth of information; still others do not do deep mental work. The shortcomings shown expose the ill health of the mind and the painful state of the entire soul, the reason for this lies in the spiritual damage of the person. The situation is different in a person enlightened from above: in his mind, under the influence of grace, the destruction of imperfections and healing occurs. Each thing, creation, in addition to the actual visible, tangible content examined by the mind, also has an internal, “contemplated being.” “Every thing has its own innermost thought - its life-giving essence” 11. “In the world we always see the visible, manifested side, underneath it are the forces and elements, and underneath them we must also see the thought of God hidden there. This thought is the goal of our efforts; comprehending it is knowledge itself, and everything else is preparatory information” 12. In this regard, the goal of human knowledge is to see the Divine plan in the world and each of its creations, “to see the thought of God hidden there,” and the comprehension of this thought, the revealed truth, will constitute knowledge itself. Only the power of the divine order is capable of realizing this goal, and such a power, according to Theophan the Recluse, is reason, which he attributes to the highest part of human being - the spirit. The subject of the knowledge of reason is the divine eternal order of things. The ideal, according to Saint Theophan, is nothing more than God’s plan in the creation of this or that thing, and knowledge is the discovery of this plan. This approach is fundamentally different from the idealistic one, where some ideal from itself generates the material world, and from the material, where nature itself generates the ideal. It is possible to realize knowledge of this kind of phenomena, as the saint notes, only with the help of the power of the Divine property. “It is possible to know the innermost of created things, which is placed in them from the Divine mind, only through the power of the Divine property. This power in us is spirit, and in spirit is reason” 13. “The activity of the mind is higher than ordinary knowledge,” since the subject of its knowledge is “the Supreme Being - God and the Divine eternal order of things,” which is reflected both in the spiritual world and in the structure of created nature and humanity. A person has such an ability due to the presence of spirit in him - “this is that side of inner life that is turned to God, virtue, Heaven and eternity” 14. Spiritual life bears the stamp of the Highest Principle, for God is Spirit. Saint Theophan calls the spirit “the organ of communication with God.” Human spirituality is associated with the most important manifestations of the spirit, the highest qualities of a person, which are reason, conscience and fear of God (honor and reverence for God). All these parts are combined in the personality (I) of a person, thus it represents the unity of spirit, soul and body. So, it is natural for the human spirit to strive for knowledge of the ideas of the higher world, since we have a need for the Divine, moral order, and a better eternal life. The main instrument of this knowledge is reason, which, however, as St. Theophan, “there is only the visual power of the spiritual world,” therefore, for the further development of acquired knowledge it is necessary to “exercise the power of spiritual vision with actual vision,” through communication with God and the spiritual world 15. In the interpersonal process of Communion with God, carried out between two individuals - God and man, the highest properties of man are improved, and unclear, uncertain knowledge becomes genuine knowledge of spiritual things. “The further a person moves along the path of union with God, the more conscious he becomes. At the highest stages of the spiritual path, it manifests itself as the knowledge of the Most Holy Trinity. On the contrary, ignorance, in its extreme limit, is nothing more than hell - the limit of the fall of the human personality” 16. Saint Theophan points out a very important fundamental reason for the imperfection of human cognition - the Fall, as a result of which there was “confusion” (disorder) in the composition of man: the spirit, having moved away from God, lost its strength and submitted to the soul, therefore the mind in man, being in an unnatural, fallen state, at a distance from God, lost the tools of cognition, as a result of which knowledge about the spiritual world is presumably incorrect, partial and one-sided. In this regard, truth is contained in the mind as something alien. “Knowledge does not lie in their mind, but, as it were, on the mind, like dust, ready to immediately fly off, that is, it has not dissolved with its essence, which is why the conjecture inherent in it is not destroyed in it, and it is often subject to attacks of doubt, sometimes very deep” 17. In a word, sin leads to a darkening of the mind; true wisdom is hidden for such a person, and he remains in a state of ignorance of God. On the contrary, reason, participating in the grace of God, makes it possible to better understand the truth than reason: “Such, however, the perfection of knowledge in a spirit blessed with grace is the fruit of reason rather than reason, or, better, a consequence of the replenishment of reason with reason. What happens in the mind itself? The destruction of his imperfections, not only voluntary, but often involuntary, and his healing. Grace, having come, does not bring with it much information, but it teaches a person to pay attention and, as it were, obliges him to accurately consider things; she does not interpret to him the laws of thinking, but infuses him with a love of truth, which does not allow him to deviate from the right paths and rely too much on abstractions, therefore, puts him in the true middle and confirms him in it, which he cannot do on his own. Because of this, often a person who has not devoted himself to science becomes reasonable and sane, and through long life experiences finally acquires true wisdom, sufficient for more than just his share” 18. So, a person enlightened by the grace of God not only receives the opportunity to “contemplate” the truth, but also gains wisdom, since Divine grace helps to purify the inner man and opens the eye of the mind. Knowledge is now living, experiential, true, because it is based on personal spiritual experience. Therefore, as V.N. notes. Lossky, “spiritual life - the growth of the human personality in grace - is always conscious, while unconsciousness is a sign of sin, the “sleep of the soul”" 19. The Lord reveals unspeakable secrets to those who love Him and feeds the human soul with imperishable joy, for the eye has not seen, the ear has not heard, and it has not entered into the heart of man what God has prepared for those who love Him (1 Cor. 2:9). Saint Isaac the Syrian calls this spiritual mind with the highest spiritual contemplation, “feeling of the innermost” 20. And for real comprehension of the truth, “integrity of reason” is necessary (I.V. Kireevsky), for the most perfect knowledge, according to Theophan the Recluse, is possessed by the one who unites the mind enlightened by grace with a multi-knowing reason, in the process of which the “replenishment of reason with reason” occurs. At the same time, the process of scientific knowledge acquires a qualitatively new result thanks to the return of the virtues of reason to the depths of the heart, “a scientific person develops a special method of research, a special instinct for the discovery of truth and the true path to it” 21 . This way of knowing can be called intuitive or heuristic. For education, this discovery and this requirement are important because it makes it possible to understand: the combination of persistent mental work (rational activity) of the person himself and the help of Divine grace (revelation of the mind) provides a person with new perspectives in the process of searching for new knowledge. Therefore, in the pedagogical system of St. Feofan, the education of the mind is organically connected with the spiritual development of man. Theophan the Recluse writes: “Imprint the truths of faith in the mind, making them the stewards of all other knowledge and concepts, and lead the children steadily according to the instructions of our guardian mother - the Church, and children will come out, strong in mind and kind in heart, kind with lasting and unshakable kindness. Where in any branch of knowledge concepts are allowed that are contrary to the truths of faith, they darken the mind of those being educated and weaken it with an admixture of lies, and where, moreover, they somehow alienate them from the Church, they spoil the heart, allowing unnatural passionate feelings and dispositions to open up in it and grow stronger.”22 And since the spiritual principle is decisive in the knowledge of the world, then, accordingly, in education it is necessary to put spiritual and moral education as its basis. Thus, the teachings of Theophan the Recluse make it possible to correctly understand and organize mental education, without turning it into an end in itself and without considering intelligence as an end in itself. This becomes possible due to the fact that the result of a person’s spiritual development is not only the spiritual transformation of a person, but also the transformation of all the forces and aspects of his soul: mind, will and feelings. “What does it mean to enlighten the mind?” - asks the saint. - This means “to imprint in it the necessary concepts about all things, namely the concepts of what God is, what His properties are, in what relation He is to the world and to us; what is this world, how does it work, where does it come from, what holds it together and where it strives; what is a person, what is his purpose and purpose of existence, what awaits us in the future, etc. The totality of such knowledge constitutes the wisdom that a person is always looking for. There is no person who is not worried about these questions. But their real, correct decision is contained in Revelation and is taught by the Holy Church” 23. As we see, the creation of an education system focused on the formation of a creative personality, a personality aimed at searching for something new, is possible only with a spiritual approach, since only in the process of education, carried out on the basis of spiritual development, “a person is renewed in knowledge” (see Col. 3:10), “renewal of the mind” is carried out (see Rom. 12:2). “Moreover, the “renewal of the mind” is not simply a refinement or improvement of it, but is its transformation, i.e., transformation into the function of an integral spirit” 24. The combination of persistent mental work (rational activity) of the person himself and the help of Divine grace (revelation of reason) indicates new perspectives. So, the religious approach in explaining the process of searching for new knowledge is based on the premise that it is not limited only to the knowledge obtained by the person himself, but also includes the knowledge that God reveals to him, since, as V.V. Zenkovsky notes, “the individual mind must be replenished with grace-filled help from Above” 25. Therefore, the “idea of ​​synergy” in knowledge, in the discovery and comprehension of new knowledge is the fundamental principle of Christian epistemology. THE PROBLEM OF DISCOVERY OF NEW KNOWLEDGE IN THE WORKS OF THEOPHAN THE RECLUSE In the article the nature of innovative processes is revealed in the context of modern scientific approaches aimed at finding answers to questions: what is creativity? what is development of creative abilities? The author points out the fact that modern science giving the definition of the creativity on the whole can not yet define the nature of human creative abilities. The author believes that it is not by chance. The problem of understanding of the process of getting knowledge and discovering can not be solved with the help of research approaches that exclude spirituality of a man. The article reveals the approach aimed at understanding a human as originally a spiritual being. Spirituality is the most important characteristic of a person. It is stated in the ability of cognition, guiding of the voice of conscience, striving for perfection. Only spiritual sphere determines the norm of humanity. The Holy Fathers heritage lets us get closer to understanding the mystery of spirituality and spiritual knowledge, especially in the works of Theophan the Recluse. He substantiated the idea of ​​synergism of the cognitive process as a unity of mental process of a person and knowledge that God gives to a man. As the spiritual basis is dominant in the knowledge, spiritual cognition should be put into the basis of mental education: it will be the most important factor of development of human creativity. So, the material issues of Theophan the Recluse allows to understand and organize the mental education properly. It makes possible not only to understand creativity and creative abilities of a person correctly but it also enables the real development of human creativity. 1. Dolzhenko O.V. Universitet v tochke Omega (University at Omega). Moscow, 2010. 2. Losskij V.N. Ocherk misticheskogo bogoslovja Vostocnoj Cerkvi (Essay of mystical theology of Easter Church). Moscow, 1991. 3. Podymova L.S. Vvedenie v innivacionnuju pedagogiku (Introduction to innovative pedagogy). Kursk, 1994. 4. Pushkin V.N. Euristica – nauka o tvorcheskom myshlenii (Heuristic is the science of creative thinking). Moscow, 1967. 5. Slobodchikov V.I. Anthropologicheskaja perspektiva otechestvennogo obrazovanija (Anthropological perspective of native education). Ekaterinburg, 2009. 6. Zapesockij A.S. Obrazovanie: filosofija, kulturologja, politika (Education: philosophy, cultural studies, policy). Moscow, 2002. 7. Zenkovskij V.V. Osnovy hristianskoj filosofii (The elements of Christian philosophy). Moscow, 1997. Dolzhenko O.V. University at Omega Point. M., 2010. P. 339. Dolzhenko O.V. University at Omega Point. P. 432. Zapesotsky A.S. Education: philosophy, cultural studies, politics. M., 2002. P. 48. Podymova L.S. Introduction to innovative pedagogy. Kursk, 1994. P. 27 Slobodchikov V.I. Anthropological perspective of domestic education. Ekaterinburg, 2009. P. 80. Pushkin V.N. Heuristics is the science of creative thinking. M., 1967. P. 114. Hegel G. V. F. The Science of Logic. M., 1970. T. 1. P. 403. Feofan (Govorov), the recluse of Vyshensky, St. Outline of Christian moral teaching. M., 1998. P. 242. 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