The Anomie In Antique And The Middle Ages As A Pedagogical Problem

The study of anomie is traditionally considered the subject of sociology, but initially it was comprehended within the framework of ancient and medieval philosophy. The article describes the features of the transcendental approach to the study of anomie and its pedagogical features. The authors use a comparative historical method. Originally in ancient Greece, the word “anomie” described negative personality traits; this approach was laid down by Hesiod, Herodotus and Solon. The sophists were characterized by the idealization of anomie as a process of democratization of the polis; their ideas testify to the rupture of the transcendent and immanent. Socrates, Plato and Aristotle associate the violation of laws with the violation of the foundations of life, including injustice, godlessness, the decline of upbringing and the weakening of power. Anomy represents a weakening of rational control, immoderation, and a lack of virtue. Christian thought, having generally inherited the ancient interpretation, designates lawlessness as a sin. Thus, the transcendental approach understands anomie as “Ontological deviation” and transfers its understanding from the sphere of law, ethics or social institutions to the area of ontology and epistemology. Four features of the interpretation of anomie in ancient and medieval thought are revealed: its connection with personality traits; as a criterion of the norm, not social rules are proposed, but natural order; secret emergence in the socio-cultural relations of society; connection of anomie with democratization.