Między przetrwaniem a przemianą. Szkoła wyższa wobec fundamentalnej aporii

The article is an attempt to answer the question about the possibility of overcoming the contradictions between the two possible objectives of higher education. On the one hand, such a goal (verbalized widely in public debate and by research specialists) is adaptation regarded as a condition of survival in a world of risk and universal competition. Employers’ expectations, the market as the regulator of education, education “on request” are common ways of thinking about the goals of higher education. However, education on its every level has to fulfll other tasks and functions (besides adaptation). It is a way to development and self-development, it is an opportunity for self-fulfllment and autonomy. It is an opportunity to acquire critical competences that allow the understanding of the world around us, ourselves and our relationships with others. Involved, interventional studies and recognition are a chance to solve this problem.