Education at the turn of centuries: ontology of the crisis and possible exits on the path of linear development

Presented is the authors’ analysis of the theme of finding the way out of the crisis of education. Appealing to theoretical and conceptual justification of educational practice in the aspect of history of pedagogy, the authors state the fact of conceptual discrepancy of it’s orientation of development, that provides the basis for searching the authors’ ontogenesis interpretation of cognition in educational process. Reference to concepts of hierarchy, integrity and cyclicity of world order in position of ontogenetic thinking contributes to formation of a view on the exit of modern education from critical state by the way of cultivating in educational institutions ontogenetic thinking as corresponding to functioning in changing world. The authors present their vision of the way of education to linear mode of development in the form of cultivation of ontogenetic thinking in science and education as internal factor of development of individual, able to harmonize the explosive attack of external factor, i.e. network information.