Getting to know the history of political thought in the process of citizenship and legal education

Abstract

Knowledge of history, and especially knowledge of the history of political thought, plays a key role in shaping the political and legal culture of a society and its political elites. That is because this kind of learning enriches society’s self-knowledge and, as such, aids in making appropriate political choices and pursuing appropriate ways of engaging in politics. Such knowledge is of particular importance in the case of Polish society which is characterised by a low level of political and legal culture, which manifests itself, amongst other things, in a lack of care about the collective good, excessive egoism and individualism, a mistrust towards state authorities, low levels of social trust, and an inability to engage in collective action. Therefore, it is contemporarily necessary to develop in Poland an active form of citizenship and to strengthen the democratic attitudes of the Poles through drawing on the country’s past and the best values and democratic and humanistic ideals that can be found in the history of its political thought.