PEDAGOG O JOHNA RAWLSA ROZUMIENIU SZACUNKU DLA SAMEGO SIEBIE
AN EDUCATIONALIST ON JOHN RAWLS’ UNDERSTANDING OF THE SELF-RESPECT

Summary/Abstract: The issue of self-esteem has been of special concern since 1980s as it became a vital part of the ideology of well-being and it still plays an important role in the liberal model of society. Thus, it has found a special place in education, first in the States, than it has spread out to Europe reaching the transforming societies of the East European education system. The issue has always been rooted in the mainstream of philosophy, but it was included in such categories as the virtue of humbleness before it emerged as a wellestablished notion, largely popularised among psychologists and counsellors and well adapted in everyday language. The issue is dealt with in John Rawls’ Theory of Justice and is considered to be one of the social primary goods which must be distributed according to the rules of justice meant as fairness. In fact, Rawls’ self-respect is nothing but constructed consciences of the worth of one’s social role where the approval of the society is a necessary condition of it. Another attitude is emerging from the writings of Max Scheler, who suggests that self-esteem is a part of self-knowledge and is discovered as a basic, simple state of mind experiencing fullness of one’s being. The aim of raising pupils’ self-esteem, broadly popularised in schools’ curriculum, is meant only as being competent and efficient in some activity. The conclusion of the article suggests that it should be revised.

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