Science Faith & Society Book - Phoenix Books for Thoughtful Readers

Polanyi's Science, Faith and Society is a wonderful contribution to the philosophy of science and explores three principle areas of scientific process: (1) How the process of scientific discovery actually occurs through the interaction of conscience and intuition; (2) the necessity of freedom in scientific endeavors; and (3) the nature of the interdependence between the various fields of scientific inquiry.Polanyi writes with authority as his background and training is in the physical sciences. His work as a physical chemist was acknowledged by the likes of Albert Einstein. His description of the process of scientific thought and discovery will come as a surprise to the lay reader or novice scientist as he describes the process of scientific discovery as a creative activity that is highly dependent on the intuition of the scientist and other intangible characteristics such as beauty and passion. In this book, Polanyi also describes the importance of peer review and accountability among peers in the scientific community as an indispensable aid to heuristic discovery. In our age which uncritically embraces an attitude toward scientific discovery that excludes the value of intuition, imagination and spirituality, Polanyi's work is a needed critique.As a bonus, in the book's Introduction Polanyi speaks to the genesis of his thinking on these matters from the handling of science by Stalin's Soviet Russia - particularly his encounters with N.I. Bukharin who advocated the Soviet Union's policy of comprehensive planning of scientific research. Polanyi reveals that his encounter with Bukharin impelled his exploration of the question of "why we do science as we do" and "how scientific exploration occurs."After reading this smaller work by Polanyi, I heartily recommend his famous work, Personal Knowledge Personal Knowledge (Paperback and Kindle) which is a fuller exploration of the realities upon which Science, Faith and Society is based.Reverend Chris SchansbergAuthor, Beyond Any Doubt (Paperback and Kindle)andScience, Evolutionary Theory and Christianity (Paperback and Kindle)