MRAVNÁ VÝCHOVA V ŠKOLÁCH NA SLOVENSKU A V ZAHRANI ČÍ

Movement-like innovations and institutionalised initiatives met in the Anthropology Workshop (led by
me) of the National Institute of Public Education. This team worked out the subject Learning about
man (the combination of psychology, sociology, ethics, philosophical anthropology and other human
subjects 1 ), prepared the necessary teaching aids: curricula for primary and secondary schools,
textbooks (Kamarás, Vörös, 1996/a, 1996/b, 2002), educational and methodological guides (Kamarás,
1995) and other teaching aids (Bohár, 1993; Lénártné, 1993; Kamarás, Sárkány; 1993, Kamarás,
Sárkány, Varga, 1993; Kuslits, 1993), one after the other. This innovation has became an organic part
(entitled Learning about man) of the new National Core Curriculum (NCC) introduced in 1996 by the
socialist-liberal coalition government (National, 1995) This area of knowledge became one of the most
characteristic subjects of the official curriculum, According to the education-sociological surveys it
was acceptable for the majority of educational agents (teachers, parents and students) with various
ideologies. The considerable support was due to the many-dimensional image of man (biological−
psychic−sociological−mental dimensions) whose "general human" basis underlay a consensus which
was acceptable for people of Christian, socialist and liberal values as well. Many students, parents,
teachers saw, or learned after some years of teaching experience, that this approach of man could
successfully serve an educational practice that helped students to understand the phenomena of the
World, related to the Whole, to become capable of loving in a clever (yet not self-seeking, but
devoted) way and to realise a society based on giving and responsibility.
2. The main characteristics of the subject Learning about
man/Anthropology and Ethics
The consensus-like Learning about man has a many-dimensional image of man made up of biological,
psychological, sociological and spiritual dimensions that form an integral whole. This polyphonic
image of man makes choosing and ranking the different dimensions according to one's world-view
possible.This conception synthesises everything that is together in man, that the separate human
sciences − since this is their task − examine according to their own (particular) points of view, with all
of its advantages and disadvantages. In our Learning about man art is included as an equal approach −
besides the biological, psychological, sociological, ethical, cultural anthropological, philosophical,
theological, ecological, political and other points of view −, since in the case of questions such as love,
freedom, hope, order, finiteness the limits of human sciences can be felt well and the answers of art
may be considered more authentic.
First among equals can be human sciences representing meta-level. Ethics and Philosophical
anthropology can be regarded as this kind in the first place. Knowledge of the self, relations and of
society may get emphasis as well as preparation for creating a home and founding a family. Beyond
doubt different kinds of Learning about man would be desirable in schools depending on whether
good mothers and fathers of the family, entrepreneurs, good wives of the house, confident and
empathetic contact-makers or the Homo politicos are aimed at. It is possible to elaborate several
variations of Learning about man, for example focusing on self-knowledge, social studies, social
psychology, ecology, cultural anthropology and practice-oriented ones (manners, etiquette, life style
and creating a home, physical and mental health) but no one can operate without ethical
reflection.Ethics can be more effective as a part of Learning about man synthesising the various
human sciences than in itself, in which case it can easily become moralisation. The same holds true for
self-knowledge, which in itself can easily become “psychologism” (“psychologiosation”), and for
social studies, which lacking the company of other human sciences may easily commit the sin of
“sociologism” (“sociologisation”) or politicisation. In a short time after establishing the name
transformed Learning o, ethics and society or Anthropology and Ethics. At the framework of the new
subject ethics is a so called consensus ethics. Consensus can be reached, first of all, on the basis of the
fact that humans make up one species. Secondly there are quite a lot common points in the various
morals and ethics. Further on thinkers of different world-views equally reckon with fundamental
values, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and today's other fundamental documents also
reckon with fundamental values and virtues. Consensus ethics is not a 'colourless-odourless', sterile
1 Cultural anthropology, ecology, communication, political science, religious science)
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