In the second half of the 1850s, when interest was revived in the problems of personality formation, which were recognized as being in direct connection with the restructuring of social life, an article by the outstanding surgeon N.I. education. Dobrolyubov was attracted by the thesis of N. I. Pirogov that education should contribute to the development of the “inner man”, i.e. personality. Putting this requirement at the forefront, Dobrolyubov showed that the existing method of education, based on unconditional submission to the authority of elders, leads to the suppression of the child's personality and brings up slaves. Imbued with the pathos of respect for the human person, the article not only laid the foundation for Dobrolyubov's extensive pedagogical journalism, but also appeared as the first detailed presentation in print of his democratic views.