Meaning

Published shortly before Michael Polanyi's death in February 1976, Meaning represents the culmination of his philosophical work. Developed with Harry Prosch's assistance, the book extends Polanyi's earlier critique of scientific objectivity to examine how meaning is grounded in imaginative and creative faculties. Polanyi argues that science is inherently normative and that society assigns meaning to science rather than receiving objective truth from it. He contends that creative imagination forms the foundation of meaning, operating through metaphorical expression in poetry, art, myth, and religion to integrate disparate elements of human experience. Polanyi positions these imaginative integrations as equally valid modes of knowledge alongside scientific ones. The book addresses how this understanding of meaning's foundation can restore validity to traditional ideas undermined by modern science. Polanyi also discusses the conditions necessary for a free society that supports diverse approaches to truth, and examines how modern minds might be opened to accepting religion.