Regional Formation and Development Studies

This article examines the impact of the historiographical work of Simonas Daukantas (1793–1864) on the dramas by Vydūnas (real name Vilhelmas Storostas, 1868–1953). From 1900 onwards, Vydūnas’ published works increasingly featured mentions of Daukantas and excerpts from the historian’s writings. A number of Daukantas’ intertexts are found in the drama Probočių šešėliai (Shadows of the Ancestors), written in 1900. This article, based on a comparative analysis of the writings by Daukantas and Vydūnas, raises the hypothesis that the author of the dramas was the ideal reader of the historian’s writings, and took various concepts, motifs and images from them. Vydūnas was inspired by Daukantas, and used the historian’s phrase ‘bočių probočių’ (ancestors of ancestors) and the concept of ‘tautos būdas’ (national identity) as a description of the essence of the nation, which is prevalent in his work published in 1845, and other concepts. He was the first to objectify the world created by Daukantas, and allowed Lithuanians to play the role of the ancient Lithuanian on the stage, and choose what was relevant in establishing modern Lithuanian society. The analysis reveals that Vydūnas saw the ancient Lithuanian world created by the historical writings by Daukantas as an archetype, and transposed it to a philosophical level. He also created a universal model for the link between the individual and the homeland; and in dramas, he presented simulation models for testing the proposed axiology.

Huge impact on the education system based on the universal Catholic pedagogics, and has too much emphasized working activity of the human and underestimated the nature of the personality’s expression, is analyzed in the paper. The mentioned issues are considered regarding the contemporary preparation of seafarers. Aim of the research is a revelation of the universally anthropological value of the education at conditions of protestant pragmatism and technocratism. Social influence of the protestant mentality is discussed. The preparation of seafarers is anthropologically evaluated. Methods such as retrospective analysis of scientific literature, comparison, heuristic analysis, interpretation and systemization were used in the research. Methodological principle of the research is neotomism. Theological tendencies of the protestant technocratism depreciated the personalistic culture that is psychologically compensated emphasizing the modern progress of the technological preparation of seafarers ignoring the broad approach to the valuable potential of the seafarer’s personality self-development. This approach lets create the universal local systems of the seafarers’ higher vocational education, and adequately combine the conditions of the complex human nature development and of the extreme work based on the European culture and authentic Christian heritage of education.