Michael Polanyi’s thought, distilled into the influential volumes "Personal Knowledge" and "The Tacit Dimension," explores profound depths, but its intricate nature can be challenging to grasp. While some find inconsistencies within its framework, diverse interpretations have flourished over time, testament to the richness of his ideas.
This collection of quotes introduces his thought encompassing diverse topics like knowing, creativity, meaning, and downward causation. Many of the concepts are inter-related, for example indwelling, tacit knowledge, emergence and meaning.
The second part contains perspectives from other philosophers and scientists, offering a multifaceted portrait of Polanyi's enduring influence.
"The personal coefficient is the coefficient of passion." - Personal Knowledge, p. 349
Explanation: This highlights the role of emotions and passion in knowledge acquisition and discovery. It goes against the positivist ideal of objective, value-free science and emphasizes the personal and subjective dimensions of all knowing.
"All knowing is personal, and all personal knowing is passionate." - Personal Knowledge, p. 356
Explanation: This further emphasizes the inextricable link between personal experience, passion, and the act of knowing. It challenges the notion of a detached, purely intellectual approach to knowledge.
"The act of knowing is an act of commitment." (Personal Knowledge, p. 385)
Explanation: This highlights the active and engaged nature of knowing. It is not a passive process of receiving information, but rather a dynamic interaction between the knower and the known. By committing ourselves to understanding something, we invest ourselves in it and become responsible for its meaning.
“We can know more than we can tell." - The Tacit Dimension, p. 4
Explanation: This central concept of Polanyi's philosophy challenges the notion of knowledge as solely explicit and propositional. It emphasizes the crucial role of tacit knowledge, which is often unspoken, unconscious, and difficult to articulate.
"All knowledge is rooted in tacit knowing. The explicit knowledge that we articulate is always grounded in our pre-existing tacit understanding of the world." - Personal Knowledge, p. 319
Explanation: This quote emphasizes the importance of tacit knowledge in all creative endeavors. Creativity is not simply about coming up with new ideas out of thin air; it involves drawing on our existing knowledge and understanding and making connections in new and innovative ways.
"Tacit knowledge is the distal aspect of cognition, the part that is not conscious and articulate. It is the subsidiary awareness that we have of our surroundings, of our own movements and actions, and of the rules and routines that govern our behavior. This awareness is not accessible to introspection, and it is not easily communicable to others. It is a kind of implicit knowledge that we use unconsciously in our daily lives, and it is only when we try to explain or justify our actions to ourselves or to others that we become aware of it.
The proximal aspect of tacit knowledge, on the other hand, is the part that is conscious and articulate. It is the knowledge that we have of our own mental states and processes, of our goals and purposes, and of the reasons that guide our actions. This knowledge is accessible to introspection and reflection, and it can be communicated to others through language or other forms of expression. It is a kind of explicit knowledge that we can use to guide our actions and to justify our decisions." (The Tacit Dimension, p. 30-31)
Explanation: This is the part of the book where the distal and proximal aspects of the Tacit Dimension is described. They are also sometimes called the subsidiary and the focal awarenesses.
"The focal awareness is not a spotlight but a clearing." (The Tacit Dimension, p. 48)
Explanation: This metaphor challenges the traditional view of attention as a focused beam of light. Instead, Polanyi suggests that our awareness operates more like a clearing in a forest, allowing us to grasp a broader context and understand the relationships between things.
"The pursuit of knowledge is not a matter of acquiring information, but of understanding the world around us." - Michael Polanyi, The Tacit Dimension, p 10.
Explanation: This quote is one of the most well-known and influential statements from Polanyi's work, and it encapsulates his central critique of the overemphasis on information and data in the pursuit of knowledge. He argues that true understanding comes not from simply accumulating facts, but from actively engaging with and interpreting the world around us, drawing on both explicit and tacit knowledge.
"We learn by doing" by Michael Polanyi appears in Chapter 2 of Personal Knowledge (1958), on page 50.
Explanation: He argues that active engagement and participation are essential for understanding and learning. Simply observing or passively receiving information is insufficient. We truly learn by actively engaging with the world, experimenting, and making mistakes. This process allows us to develop tacit knowledge, which is the practical understanding and skill that resides beyond our ability to explicitly explain it.
"This attending from something to its meaning is an irreducible fact which I have called 'indwelling'." (Personal Knowledge, p. 11)
"From this ability to dwell in meaningful entities arises the tacit power to comprehend their particular nature." (Personal Knowledge, p. 12)
Explanation: Polanyi is explaining that our tacit comprehension and understanding of things arises from our ability to dwell in them inwardly through a process of tacit indwelling participation. This indwelling allows us to attend from the things to grasp their particular nature and comprehend the whole by tacitly experiencing all the parts. It is a key part of how tacit knowledge and comprehension functions.
"The scientist indwells in his subject. He does not merely observe it from a detached standpoint; he immerses himself in it and tries to understand it from within." - Personal Knowledge, p. 352
Explanation: This quote introduces Polanyi's concept of "indwelling," which describes the deep understanding that scientists can achieve by immersing themselves in their subject matter. It involves not just gathering data but also developing a deep familiarity and empathy for the subject, allowing for a more nuanced and holistic understanding.
"The higher levels of human achievement are not simply the sum of the lower levels. They represent a new emergent order that cannot be reduced to its component parts." - Personal Knowledge, p. 393
Explanation: This quote addresses the concept of downward causation, which suggests that higher-level phenomena can influence lower-level ones. Polanyi argues that human creativity and achievement cannot be fully explained by analyzing the individual components involved; they represent a new and emergent order that arises from the complex interaction of these components.
"The act of knowing is an act of commitment. We are not merely passive observers of the world; we are active participants in its creation. We choose what we will pay attention to, and in doing so, we give meaning to the world." - (Personal Knowledge, p. 385)
Explanation: This quote highlights Polanyi's view that meaning is not something inherent in the world but rather something we create through our engagement with it. Through our active participation in the world, we invest ourselves in it and find meaning in our experiences.
“Science is not a system of self-evident truths; it is a passionate search for truth." (Personal Knowledge, p. 354)
Explanation: This challenges the positivist view of science as a neutral and objective pursuit. Polanyi emphasizes the role of passion, intuition, and imagination in scientific discovery. He suggests that science is not simply about accumulating facts but also about seeking meaning and understanding in the natural world.
"All knowledge is ultimately a matter of faith." (Personal Knowledge, p. 362)
Explanation: This statement does not imply blind faith but rather the recognition that any claim to knowledge involves some degree of trust and commitment. We cannot prove everything beyond a shadow of a doubt, and ultimately, we must choose to trust certain sources and methods of inquiry.
"The body is the medium of knowledge." (Personal Knowledge, p. 387)
Explanation: This challenges the Cartesian dualism of mind and body. Polanyi suggests that the body is not merely a passive instrument for the mind but an essential participant in the act of knowing. Our bodily experiences and interactions with the world shape our understanding of it.
"Man is a knowing animal." (Personal Knowledge, p. 382)
Explanation: This emphasizes the centrality of knowledge in human existence. It suggests that our ability to understand and learn is not just a useful tool but a defining characteristic of what it means to be human.
"The human mind is not a container; it is a power." - The Tacit Dimension, p. 54
Explanation: This challenges the traditional view of the mind as a passive receptacle for information. Polanyi emphasizes the active and creative nature of the mind, its ability to grasp and integrate information in a holistic manner.
"Freedom is the condition of creativity." - Personal Knowledge, p. 373
Explanation: This highlights the importance of individual freedom for intellectual and artistic endeavors. It emphasizes the spontaneous and unpredictable nature of creativity, which requires openness and a willingness to explore uncharted territories.
"The self is not a substance; it is a process." (Personal Knowledge, p. 390)
Explanation: This challenges the notion of the self as a fixed and unchanging entity. Polanyi suggests that the self is constantly evolving and in the process of becoming. Our experiences and choices shape our identity, and we are always open to change and growth.
"Man is not a finished product; he is a work in progress." (Personal Knowledge, p. 396)
"We are always becoming, and never are" by Michael Polanyi appears in Chapter 5 of Personal Knowledge (1958), on page 76.
Explanation: This emphasizes the lifelong journey of human development and growth. We are not born with a fixed set of abilities and limitations. Rather, we are constantly learning, evolving, and becoming. This is central to Polanyi's understanding of the human condition. He argues that we are not static beings with fixed identities, but rather dynamic entities constantly evolving and changing. Our knowledge and understanding of ourselves and the world around us are continually expanding and being redefined. This ongoing process of becoming is a fundamental aspect of our existence, and it is driven by both our conscious efforts and the tacit knowledge that shapes our experiences and actions.
"The world is not a given; it is a creation." (Personal Knowledge, p. 393)
Explanation This emphasizes the subjective and interpretive nature of our experience. We do not simply passively receive information about the world; we actively participate in shaping our understanding of it. Our beliefs, values, and expectations influence how we perceive and interact with the world around us.
"Love is the ultimate act of understanding." (Personal Knowledge, p. 403)
Explanation: This suggests that true understanding goes beyond intellectual comprehension. It involves a deep emotional connection and empathy for the other person. Only through love can we truly grasp another individual's experiences and perspectives.
Quotations by Others:
"Polanyi's work is a major contribution to our understanding of the role of tacit knowledge in scientific discovery and technological innovation." - Thomas Kuhn, "The Structure of Scientific Revolutions" (1962)
"Polanyi's work is a valuable resource for anyone interested in the nature of human knowledge and understanding." - Peter L. Berger, "The Social Construction of Reality: A Treatise in the Sociology of Knowledge" (1966)
"In Michael Polanyi, we have a thinker who is not afraid to tackle the most fundamental questions about knowledge, meaning, and the human condition." - Charles Taylor, "The Tacit Dimension Revisited" (1977)
"Polanyi's work has been a major inspiration for my own work on the philosophy of science." - Imre Lakatos, "The Methodology of Scientific Research Programmes" (1978)
Polanyi's philosophy is a powerful defense of the importance of the individual in the face of the modern trend towards homogenization and standardization." - Alasdair MacIntyre, "After Virtue" (1981)
"Polanyi's philosophy is a powerful challenge to the modern obsession with certainty and control." - Hubert Dreyfus, "Being-in-the-World: A Commentary on Heidegger's Being and Time" (1991)
"Polanyi's philosophy is a powerful antidote to the cold, rationalistic view of human knowledge that has dominated much of Western thought." - Gareth B. Matthews, "The Philosophy of Michael Polanyi" (1992)
Polanyi's concept of 'indwelling' offers a profound insight into the nature of scientific understanding." - Mary Midgley, "Science as Salvation: A Modern Myth and Its Meaning" (1992)
"Polanyi's work on tacit knowledge has had a profound impact on a wide range of disciplines, including philosophy, linguistics, psychology, and sociology." - Harry Collins, "Tacit Knowledge, Trust and the Public Understanding of Science" (2001)