Liberal Education in Poland: between Liberal and General Education

Abstract

The text considers the issue of liberal education and its possibilities to develop in Poland. It has adopted a broader interpretation of understanding the education, as not limited to the academic education but also having its place at lower degrees. It has been postulated that its distinguishing features should be more present in education as such. The features are as follows: the availability of the first-hand knowledge, its critical in-depth understanding including a broad cognitive perspective immanent to the various forms of knowledge, and making a voluntary mental effort based on the learner’s need of self-education and the growth of intellectual culture. The text also considers the problem of how the well-established general education in Poland may interact with liberal education and to what extent it may compete with liberal education and impede its implementation.