Society, Economics, and Philosophy

Selected Papers

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Sociology
Cover of the book Society, Economics, and Philosophy by Michael Polanyi, Taylor and Francis
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Michael Polanyi ISBN: 9781351489096
Publisher: Taylor and Francis Publication: July 28, 2017
Imprint: Routledge Language: English
Author: Michael Polanyi
ISBN: 9781351489096
Publisher: Taylor and Francis
Publication: July 28, 2017
Imprint: Routledge
Language: English

Society, Economics and Philosophy represents the full range of Polanyi's interests outside of his scientific work: economics, politics, society, philosophy of science, religion and positivist obstacles to it, and art. Polanyi's principal ideas are contained in three essays: on the scientific revolution, the creative imagination and the mind-body relation. Precisely because of Polanyi's work in the physical sciences, his writings have a unique dimension not found in other advocates of the market and too infrequently found even in philosophers of science.Polanyi was a powerful critic of totalitarianism and of the deficiencies of the usual defenses of freedom which helped to prepare the way for it. Freedom, he argued, can be based only upon truth and dedication to transcendent ideals, not upon skepticism, utilitarianism and the liberty of doing merely as one pleases. At a time when easy slogans about socialism were dominant in intellectual circles, epitomized by Sidney and Beatrice Webb, and when calls for the central planning of scientific research were made by such as J.D. Bernal, Polanyi exposed their errors and showed that science can flourish only in a free society.More radically than even von Mises and Hayek, Polanyi showed that an industrial economy can operate only polycentrically, that central planning is logically impossible, and that what was called by that name in the Soviet Union was in reality no such thing. Likewise, scientific research can proceed, not by a central plan, but only by the spontaneous self-adjustment of separate initiatives to discover a common reality. Against the positivism dominant within philosophy of science, he argued that the notion of reality must be restored and made central. Yet physical sciences, he also argued, are only one branch of science, and the sciences of life and mind are logically richer and more complex and cannot be reduced to the former, nor mind to body or to computers, nor art to its ph

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Society, Economics and Philosophy represents the full range of Polanyi's interests outside of his scientific work: economics, politics, society, philosophy of science, religion and positivist obstacles to it, and art. Polanyi's principal ideas are contained in three essays: on the scientific revolution, the creative imagination and the mind-body relation. Precisely because of Polanyi's work in the physical sciences, his writings have a unique dimension not found in other advocates of the market and too infrequently found even in philosophers of science.Polanyi was a powerful critic of totalitarianism and of the deficiencies of the usual defenses of freedom which helped to prepare the way for it. Freedom, he argued, can be based only upon truth and dedication to transcendent ideals, not upon skepticism, utilitarianism and the liberty of doing merely as one pleases. At a time when easy slogans about socialism were dominant in intellectual circles, epitomized by Sidney and Beatrice Webb, and when calls for the central planning of scientific research were made by such as J.D. Bernal, Polanyi exposed their errors and showed that science can flourish only in a free society.More radically than even von Mises and Hayek, Polanyi showed that an industrial economy can operate only polycentrically, that central planning is logically impossible, and that what was called by that name in the Soviet Union was in reality no such thing. Likewise, scientific research can proceed, not by a central plan, but only by the spontaneous self-adjustment of separate initiatives to discover a common reality. Against the positivism dominant within philosophy of science, he argued that the notion of reality must be restored and made central. Yet physical sciences, he also argued, are only one branch of science, and the sciences of life and mind are logically richer and more complex and cannot be reduced to the former, nor mind to body or to computers, nor art to its ph

More books from Taylor and Francis

Cover of the book Framing the Interpreter by Michael Polanyi
Cover of the book Sexual Violence Against Men in Global Politics by Michael Polanyi
Cover of the book Marketing in the Tourism Industry (RLE Tourism) by Michael Polanyi
Cover of the book Data Analysis and Research for Sport and Exercise Science by Michael Polanyi
Cover of the book Exploring Sport and Leisure Disasters by Michael Polanyi
Cover of the book Gender Articulated by Michael Polanyi
Cover of the book Heroic Leadership by Michael Polanyi
Cover of the book Challenges in the Theory and Practice of Play Therapy by Michael Polanyi
Cover of the book Acid Rain and the Rise of the Environmental Chemist in Nineteenth-Century Britain by Michael Polanyi
Cover of the book Conceptual Change and the Philosophy of Science by Michael Polanyi
Cover of the book Electoral College Reform by Michael Polanyi
Cover of the book A Dictionary of English Surnames by Michael Polanyi
Cover of the book Times of Security by Michael Polanyi
Cover of the book Agency in Language Policy and Planning: by Michael Polanyi
Cover of the book Relentless Progress by Michael Polanyi
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy