Sárospataki Füzetek 20. (2016)
2016 / 1. szám - TANULMÁNYOK - Kovács Ábrahám: Népnevelés, művelődés, filozófia és nemzeti liberalizmus. Baráth Ferenc munkásságának szerepe az angol és skót hatások közvetítésében
Kovács Ábrahám ABSTRACT The Role of Ferenc Baráth’s work in Conveying the English and Scottish impact through Education of the General Public, Culture, Philosophy and Patriotic Liberalism This study focuses on how British liberalism influenced Ferenc Baráth’s thinking. It also endeavours to map the activities of his broad scale work. At the same time argues that it is possible to discern the impact of English and Scottish liberalism. Fiaving returned from Scotland, Edinburgh after completing his studies that was supported by the bursary scheme of the Free Church of Scotland, Baráth’s role in conveying ideas of progressive national liberalism from Great Britain is impressive. Fie was interested in pedagogy and published many thought provoking articles in Magyar Tanügy. Apart from this, it is less known that he was instrumental in establishing the first Hungarian periodical of philosophy with the renowned Károly Böhm during the 1880s. The study underlines that Baráth was a devoted secondary school teacher who sought to educate not only pupils entrusted on to his guidance but the public in general. His choice of what to translate and from whom, clearly exhibits a kind of patriotic liberal identity that was deeply connected to the unity of the threefold characteristic of Reformed faith: God, people and cultivated patriotic feeling for homeland. One of his favourite persons of literature was Thomas Carlyle who was set an example for the Hungarians. This paper critically analyses some of his writings what and why Baráth thought Hungarians may learn from Western Europe (Nyűgöt Európa és hazánk). His lifetime work also bears witness to a progressive thinker who dealt with education of women and the problematic issue of prostitution. In all of his writings it is possible to discern a programme which is set for the newly emerging and shaping intelligentsia as a model to improve the standards in society in an all comprehensive manner in the spheres of morality, education, literature, patriotic learning and action, or healthcare. 96 Sárospataki Füzetek 20. évfolyam 2016-1
