Learning as an Engagement in the Conversation of Humankind

Abstract

The paper discusses the idea of liberal learning presented by Michael Oakeshott in his essay “A Place of Learning”. The central argument of this interpretation is that Oakeshott’s concept of liberal education may be helpful for understanding the current situation in Polish educational institutions. After introducing the meaning of “the conversation of the humankind”, the author analyses two crucial issues for his interpretation of this essay: the key features of the experience of learning and the metaphor of a place of learning. Pinpointing three main areas of learning, that are, according to Oakeshott, family, school and university, he interprets their significance as forms of liberal education.