I shall reconsider human knowledge by starting from the fact that we can know more than we can tell. Michael Polanyi More Quotes by Michael Polanyi More Quotes From Michael Polanyi The first thing to make clear is that scientists, freely making their own choice of problems and pursuing them in the light of their own personal judgment, are in fact co-operating as members of a closely knit organization. Michael Polanyi lightchoicesorganization Of course language manifests a belief only if we use its words with the implied acceptance of their appositeness. Michael Polanyi acceptancebeliefuse To try to reform all the power structures at once would leave us with no power structure to use in our project. In any case, we will be able to see that absolute moral renewal could be attempted only by an absolute power and that a tyrannous force such as this must destroy the whole moral life of man, not renew it. Michael Polanyi reformtryingmen I hold that the propositions embodied in natural science are not derived by any definite rule from the data of experience, and that they can neither be verified nor falsified by experience according to any definite rule. Michael Polanyi definitedatanatural And the actual achievements of biology are explanations in terms of mechanisms founded on physics and chemistry, which is not the same thing as explanations in terms of physics and chemistry. Michael Polanyi chemistryachievementphysics Admittedly, scientific authority is not distributed evenly throughout the body of scientists; some distinguished members of the profession predominate over others of a more junior standing. Michael Polanyi scientistjuniorsbody No inanimate object is ever fully determined by the laws of physics and chemistry. Michael Polanyi inanimate-objectsdeterminedlaw Admittedly, the body of scientists, as a whole, does uphold the authority of science over the lay public. It controls thereby also the process by which young men are trained to become members of the scientific profession. Michael Polanyi bodydoemen Moreover, only a strong and united scientific opinion imposing the intrinsic value of scientific progress on society at large can elicit the support of scientific inquiry by the general public. Michael Polanyi valueprogresssupportsociety
