Description

Michael Polanyi was one of the great figures of European intellectual life in the 20th century. An acclaimed physical chemist in the first period of his career, Polanyi became a celebrated philosopher after World War II. He taught in Germany, England, and the United States and associated with many of the leading intellects of his time. As he witnessed the great wars and social revolutions of the twentieth century, Polanyi realized that the misleading ideals of objectivity derived from science were poisoning society at large. Polanyi was so convinced of the need to set things right that he left the laboratory and embarked on a career in economics, social analysis, and philosophy to discover and affirm the foundation of personal knowledge on which authentic science and humane societies are based. Theologians and religious thinkers were among the first to appreciate his philosophical ideas and in his late writing Polanyi tried more directly to discuss religion and religious knowledge, generating much scholarly debate. He was convinced that his philosophy of science would support a renewal of the religious and ethical traditions on which Western civilization depends. His biography has remained unwritten partly because of his many and scattered interests in a wide variety of fields, including six subfields of physical chemistry, epistemology, economics, patent law, social and political theory, aesthetics, and theology. In order to do full justice to this remarkable figure, the late William Taussig Scott spent seventeen years investigating Polanyi's work in science and the humanities, chasing down every source, and even studying Polanyi's native Hungarian in an effort to prepare himself to write this biography. He conducted some 125 interviews with people who knew Polanyi well--family, colleagues and friends--and pursued research in Budapest, Berlin, Karlsruhe, Manchester, New York, Oxford, and Chicago, in Hungarian, German, and English. Following Scott's death, Martin X. Moleski, S.J., brought the project to completion. This long-awaited volume will be the definitive resource on Polanyi and his work.

Reviews

"Soctt's and Moleski's writing is excellent. The text is well documented, quoting from Polanyi's private papers and from his published works, with special reference to his major publications... This is a fine introduction to a profound student of human knowing."--Theological Studies

"A fine achievement. The authors have skillfully woven together Polanyi's personal life, his scientific interests and work, and his interests and work in philosophy, politics and economics." --Appraisal

"Michael Polanyi: Scientist and Philosopher is a splendid tapestry that shows how Polanyi's ideas emerge and grow in the context of Polanyi's life as a European scientist and intellectual engaged with the major issues of his time. This is a book that should appeal both to those who are interested in Polanyi's career as a scientist and to those who know Polanyi for writing in economics and philosophy." --Phil Mullins, Editor, Tradition and Discovery: The Polanyi Society Periodical

"At last a comprehensive and detailed biography of Michael Polanyi, one of the greatest scientists and philosophers of the 20th century, is available. Based on scientist and philosopher William Scott's seventeen years of research and interviews, theologian Martin Moleski has produced a volume that will guide beginners, scholars, and acquaintances of Polanyi in understanding the remarkable journey of a polymath who gave up his distinction in science and social thought to help us relate the objectivity of science to the life of faith. This book is truly a gold mine for grasping the range and depth of Polanyi's still rising philosophy. No further research on Polanyi will be valid without this foundational work on Polanyi's life." --Richard Gelwick, author of The Way of Discovery, An Introduction to the Thought of Michael Polanyi

"This is an extraordinary biography of an extraordinary man. Michael Polanyi was both physical scientist and philosopher of science, who sought in his later career to define the relationships among science, faith and freedom, as captured in this vivid narrative by the late William T. Scott and Martin X. Moleski. Drawing on collections of private correspondence and on interviews with more than 150 people who knew him, this first major biography of Michael Polanyi is an essential source for understanding Polanyi, his extremely talented family, and his scientific and intellectual milieus in twentieth-century Central Europe, Great Britain, and the United States."--Mary Jo Nye, Horning Professor of the Humanities and Professor of History, Oregon State University

"This biography presents an outstanding portrait of the life and career of Michael Polanyi and the times he lived through. It will be an invaluable reference work for those interested in this fascinating man."--Bulletin for the History of Chemistry

Product Details

394 pages; 24 halftones, 1 line illus.; 6-1/8 x 9-1/4; ISBN13: 978-0-19-517433-5ISBN10: 0-19-517433-X

About the Author(s)