The issue of self-determination of the learner in the educational process, as a problem o f human choice is beyond the boundaries o f pedagogy and requires a philosophical understanding that has led to appeal o f the author, first, to correlate the philosophy of education in the history of culture, and secondly, to clarify the ontological foundations of the phenomenon o f self-determination. The basis o f the educational system is a philosophical construction o f the world picture and understanding, and the goal is correlated with the value meanings o f the era, which generally leads to the imperative o f education. Student self-determination involves, on the one hand, the adoption of the imperative o f the educational system, on the other — the outside.

Keywords: education philosophy, values, meaning, world view, imperative self-determination.