The Spiritual and Religious Concept of Optimism in Philosophy and Pedagogy of Ivan Ilyin

Introduction. The spiritual and religious concept of I. Ilyin’s optimism brings a new vision of the problem of human and his qualities into philosophy and pedagogy and is of scientific interest as a kind of program of spiritual stamina. The purpose of the study is to trace the genesis of the phenomenon of optimism in the spiritual and religious concept of I. Ilyin against the background of the evolution of his philosophical views; determine the spiritual and moral foundations of optimism within the framework of this concept; to determine the methods of formation of spiritually faithful optimism as a personality trait. Results. The spiritual and religious concept of I. Ilyin’s optimism manifests itself in the moral stamina of the individual, in conscious humility with what cannot be changed and in overcoming those difficulties that are within our power; it is the ability to recognize one’s life purpose and faithfully follow it throughout life, overcoming difficulties. It is the difficulties that act as steps to overcome them and on the way to the moral self-improvement of the individual. In the spiritual and religious concept of I. Ilyin, optimism acts in two ways: both as a gift (something innate) and as an art (something acquired) of self-empowerment, which is actualized during the period of overcoming difficulties. The article traces the evolution of I. Ilyin’s philosophical views: from understanding optimism as a moral will (in the traditions of German classical philosophy) to understand optimism as an effective overcoming of suffering and courage in the best traditions of Russian Orthodoxy. The harder and bleaker life is, the more in demand is optimism as the art of spiritual victory over the suffering and hardships of life, which carry a powerful emotional charge of spiritual purification, hardening, strengthening and strengthening. Discussion and Conclusion. For our research, it is especially valuable that optimism as a quality of a person, having both innate and acquired strength, can be brought up: by prayer, by inner (cordial contemplation), by emotional comprehension, by consolation, by distraction with joy. No less valuable is the fact that the methods of his upbringing reveal the spiritual principles of optimism.