I have to write about the book "Meaning" by Polanyi and I'm having

Question: I have to write about the book "Meaning" by Polanyi and I'm having problems understanding it!?

Can anyone help find some points that he is trying to make!?Www@QuestionHome@Com

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:

Polanyi appears to be placing religion and art as aesthetic, and science as indicative!.

Thus, physis or atomicity is sciens, and psyche is aesthetic!.

This is reductionist, and assumes that religion and spirituality is knowable only at the physis and psyche levels!. Aesthetic level does in a sense ignore Kierkegaard's insight that the Aesthetic sphere is coincidental with Ethical and Religious spheres!. These latter two spheres of awareness produce reflection beyond the existential Aesthetic sphere, philosophy as Ethics, and Jacob's ladder ascent in the Religious sphere!.

When applied to the scientific aesthetic now, the ethical sphere produces reflection, theoretic!. Scientific insight and creativity reflect the third sphere!.

In this sense, Polanyi perhaps argues in a circle, defining science as atom-based facticity, and religion and the arts as aesthetic only!. To describe the latter without the personal awareness of Spirit and even of reflective Ethics is to claim religion and the arts to be purely aesthetic, existential, non-theoretic and non-transcendent

Hoping the above discussion brings clearer awareness of Polanyi's underlying premises, and his major perspectives!.Www@QuestionHome@Com