Bolesław Prus’s Opinions on Formation and Education

Abstract

The paper seeks to analyze the political commentaries of B. Prus, the part of his writing which is little known today. In his commentaries we find the writer's views on formation and education. The core of the bibliography is composed of Prus's columns on formation asthey are found in “Opiekun domowy”, “Tygodnik Ilustrowany”, “Kurier Warszawski” and “Nowiny”. These columns often took forms of sketches and polemics with the early ideologies of Warsaw positivism, especially with A. Dygasiński and A. Świętochowski. These polemics mainly dealt with the relationship between education and morality, and with the role of religion in formation and education. The paper allows us to learn about the basic assumptions, goals and the curriculum of formation and education. The curriculum was clearly inspired by the presuppositions of H. Spencer's realistic philosophy and education, as it was viewed by B. Prus. Moreover, the authors present Prus's views on education, with particular emphasis on initial education and the then state of education.