PATHS OF MORAL IMPROVEMENT OF PERSONALITY IN THE VIEWS OF FRANCIS SKORYNA

Introduction. Francysk Skaryna was an eminent East Slavic thinker and humanist of the late Renaissance era, the first East Slavic translator of the Bible (1517) into a language close to the vernacular, its commentator, and publisher. He should be considered a precursor to the Reformation movement in the lands of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Even before the beginning of the Reformation-humanist movement in Eastern Europe (including in the ethnic Ukrainian lands), in his prefaces to the Bible, Skaryna attempted to justify the necessity of updating the dominant religion, morality, certain social institutions, including law and judiciary.Purpose. To analyze the original philosophical and ethical ideas of Francis Skorina with the aim of identifying the main elements of spirituality and morality of the individual in them. Methods. In the process of studying the philosophical and ethical ideas of Francis Skorina, various general research methods were employed (e.g.: analysis, synthesis, comparison, generalization),which have made it possible to observe the principles of his scientific approach, objectivity and historicism. Results. The moral-philosophical orientation of Skorina's creativity led to the circumstance that questions of ethics occupy a central place in his works. Skorina, as a humanist thinker, addressed in his creativity the problems of individuals and society and attempted to find their solution, which differs from dogmatic-Christian. Skorina's characteristic is an attempt to interpret a whole series of biblical plots in the spirit of Renaissance humanism. The thinker asserts the intrinsic value of human life, rehabilitates earthly existence, while not rejecting belief in the afterlife. Skorina's reflections on the meaning of human life and the highest good are of great interest. He is interested in the individual, their spiritual world, intellect, morality, and social purpose. Skorina seeks to find a certain universal rational-moral principle, acceptable to all people regardless of social status and religious affiliation, by which social life could be regulated.Сonclusion. The ideas of Francis Skorina remain a valuable source for understanding the ways of shaping the national culture of the Eastern European peoples at the beginning of the Modern era. Many of these ideas have become the foundation for the formation of the Ukrainian national educational idea, elements of the human ideal rooted in our pedagogical tradition, which unites it with the European humanistic idea.