Tradition and Discovery: The Polanyi Society Periodical

Volume 24, Issue 1, 1997/1998

Polanyi and Mathematics, Torrance and Philosophy of Science
A Response to Apczynski’s Review

The question of how Michael Polanyi understood religious realities has often been debated. I suggest, in this response to a review of my book on Polanyi and theologian Thomas Torrance, that Polanyi's treatment of mathematical realities can throw light on his understanding of religious realities (like “God”) especially since he clearly links or groups these in a number of places. In addition, I point out that Torrance develops and moves beyond the Barthian theological tradition in his adoptin of a Polanyian natural theology.