José Luiz Braga 44 characterize the relationship I make of the term learning with the concept Sapiens. The expression Homo sapiens was established in the classification of Linnaeus in the 18th century. The second term informs a characteristic trait of the species. It refers to the fact that we are endowed with reason and, through it, we know the world – wise: the one who knows. Rational knowledge would characterize the species. It seems reasonable, but the category hides another quality, which perhaps deserves to be more emphasized. Being endowed with reason is the fundamental biological datum, but the knowledge based on reason is not directly of biological order: we have to build it socially, as it is evident from its continued elaboration over time, according to the different problems encountered at every moment and context. The fact that we learn (and that we need to learn to generate knowledge) is then shown as a central characteristic of the species. Learning implies that before this fundamental gesture, we don’t know yet. It means that more than sapiens, we are qui nesciunt – those who don’t know. It is an important qual- ity – because learning enables adaptability (in Darwinian logic) extended to the great diversity of situations in which the species may face survival challenges. We are used to learning what has already been estab- lished, elaborated, transformed into the culture, and it is relevant to generate continuity and some social stability. We don’t have to reinvent everything, every generation, every moment. But it is important not to lose sight of another aspect, perhaps the main one: the gesture of learning, as a process of the inven- tion for which reason, important as it may be, is not enough. We are sapiens not directly because of what we know but because of what we learn through discovery and through the inferential competence of learning. 3. Learning The focus of this article involves learning aimed at the discovery of knowledge and solutions, through social pro-
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