originally published 3/1/2004

Professor Martin X. Moleski explains why Michael Polanyi (1891-1976) left his career in science to become a philosopher. Polanyi was trained and worked as a scientist and physical chemist until he realized the totalitarian regimes of Europe were basing their destructive and dehumanizing view of humanity on a faulty definition of knowledge. Polanyi knew the definition was inadequate; he became a philosopher in order to study why. He dedicated himself, notes Moleski, to explicating a system of personal knowledge that considers the body important and attends to what knowing the world through the body entails. He also espoused the dignity of the person, the love of truth, and — among other goods — justice. Moleski is co-author of Michael Polanyi: Scientist and Philosopher (Oxford University Press, 2005). This interview was originally featured on Volume 76 of the Journal.

16 minutes

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Though largely ignored, the work of research chemist-turned-philosopher Michael Polanyi (1891–1976) offers rich insight into the methods of science, the role of belief in all human knowing, and the important connections between knowledge and responsibility. Tacit Knowing, Truthful Knowing explores Michael Polanyi’s criticisms of both objectivism and subjectivism, and his attempts to develop a more truthful understanding of how we know the world. His ideas are based on the belief that all knowledge is either tacit (silent and unspoken) or rooted in tacit knowledge.

This Report features interviews with leading interpreters of Polanyi’s thought, including Marjorie Grene, Richard Gelwick, Thomas Torrance, and Martin X. Moleski. Interviews with Nobel Prize-winning chemist Dudley Herschbach, educator Steven Garber, and master violin makers Peter and Wendy Moes, along with readings from Michael Polanyi’s books and correspondence, further illuminate his ideas.

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