Historical Retrospective Review of Idea of University: Complementarily of Reason and Spirituality

Abstract

Background: In the paper the Idea of the University and its transformations throughout the history are analysed. The content of the Idea of the University was based on understanding of spirituality when the man is upcoming to enlightening. Religion, philosophy, and education get together, when spirituality is defined as the categories and personal characteristics of a human. According to philosophy, spirituality is a non-physical way of a human being, which was granted to him as the ability of self-education. Religion understands spirituality as invariant of enlightening. The scientific-methodical apparatus of education was created to realize the potential ways for raising a person to enlightening in secular or religious schools. The spiritual aura was constantly presented at the University. Methods: A general philosophical approach and comparative historical method were used in the research. Results: Understanding the role of spirituality in the University education was absolutely manifested. The University was based on the idea of going up from individual towards the Universal Truth and Absolute Spirit. Knowledge and Truth are ideological categories of the University. Truth contained the spirituality and rational knowledge in the unity. Conclusions: The University has not lost its Idea throughout the history. The basic conclusion of the paper is that its Idea as well as its essence is the change of its criteria in response to the new historical reality.