The question of the philosophy of education remains an important topic of active discussion in science, education, and government. There are well-argued demands that the purposes of education be rethought, and recognition of the humanistic essence of education and its huge role in the revitalization of life and in the search for solutions to universal human problems of increasing scale and complexity. What makes the current situation especially urgent is that education, which humanists of all kinds hope will revitalize society and restore the nation's health, is engaged in a desperate search for paradigmal, theoretical, and technological ways to create a new construction of the educational process. This state of crisis is a consequence of the long domination of the technocratic paradigm, wherein arming students with a body of knowledge, abilities, and skills was acknowledged to be the chief aim of school. In the past few years this has prompted a lot of negative and even unconstructive criticism against the entire system of education in Russia. Reforming Russian education to make it compatible with a new and changing social and economic situation is crucial for Russia's future, but to date the reforms are inadequate to the task and are plagued by failures to balance narrow interests with national needs. (Contains 1 footnote.) [This article was translated by Kim Braithwaite.]