ABSTRACT
The future evolution of socialist social relations, including the gradual transformation of the division of work, of power re lations and of life in the most general sense, requires fun damental changes in the social distribution of knowledge. The most important social institution which can serve this aim is the school system. Obviously, there are other institutions and agents which transmit knowledge and information. But the knowledge transmitted within the family strongly depends on its own culture. The products of the mass media are usually ‘con sumed’ in a way defined by the previously acquired, highly differentiated level and structure of knowledge. Personal re lations, whether chosen on an affective basis or created by social circumstances, are more often than not characterized by social and cultural similarities. Therefore at present none of these agencies can be considered as a major factor of change. On the other hand, the role of the workplace in shaping the individual’s personality and in carrying information is highly relevant, but - at least in the past - it has rarely worked for a redistribution of knowledge. Work experience and the workplace may and should acquire far greater importance in this sphere in the future. This, however, presupposes a new relationship between work and education, and the transformation of the present edu cational institutions.
