Science, Faith, and Society

Author: (English) Michael Polanyi
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-05-21
Features: As one of the outstanding scientists and philosophers of 20th-century Europe, Michael Polanyi (1891—1976) triggered a fundamental transformation in modern epistemology with his renowned tacit knowledge theory and his humane philosophy of science. The book "Science, Faith, and Society" is a collection of lectures delivered by Polanyi at the University of Durham in the UK in 1946, which is Polanyi's first systematic work on the philosophy of science. It can be said to mark the beginning of Polanyi's philosophical career, where he first outlined the overall framework of his philosophy and laid some foundational groundwork for his major work, "Personal Knowledge." The series of lectures broadly outlines Polanyi's view of science, including the nature and characteristics of scientific discovery and the correct path to discovery, and for the first time places the issue of scientific objectivity within a broader context. This made people realize the need to reconsider certain issues within this broader context, which is the starting point of Polanyi's theory of knowledge.