The article attempts to identify the philosophical meaning of education. Through the analysis of the "allegory of the cave" as a metaphor for educational activities, the definition of education as an act of free movement of a person to the knowledge of himself and the world is substantiated. The main topic of this article is the philosophical aspect of the space of literature. Attention is focused on the propinquity of philosophy and literature, arguments are built in favor of introduction of the meanings of philosophical hermeneutics into the methodology of teaching literature in schools.