Learning, the immortal soul of humanism

This paper presents a method of object-based learning for older adults in museums. The author bases her presentation on the issue of the inexhaustible thirst for knowledge that characterizes the older audience. The one-sided view of modern society on the totali­ty of knowledge and the role of science is highlighted. The convivial and hermeneutic knowledge encoded in cultural heritage objects, landscapes and narratives is presented. From the point of view of human transcendence, the role of learning about the past is also presented, which enables learning about oneself through a semiotic chain of mea­ning. The consideration of one’s own life roles and tasks in the light of the past stimula­tes the perception of the wider meaning of humanity. It encourages self-reflection and, indirectly, contact with one’s own existential meaning. Learning is a natural response to one’s psycho-physical and spiritual needs. It is at the heart of the processes of humaniza­tion that make coexistence meaningful and orient society towards humanism. Learning in museums is a by-product of the interpretation of museum collections. It is inclusive in nature, and the methods of object-based and experience-based learning used allow for the creation of divergent discourses. Heritage-based learning takes place largely in the field of the ethical. The paper draws attention to the crucial importance of coexistence and the decisive role of the Other, which leads to the heart of the ethical.