Volume 41, Issue 2, 2014/2015
Martin X. Moleski, SJ
Pages 45-55
Polanyi and Newman: A Reconsideration
The author’s doctoral dissertation on the theological implications of the epistemologies of John Henry Newman (1801-1890) and Michael Polanyi (1891-1976) operated on the assumption that Polanyi’s work was independent of Newman’s. That assumption was wrong. Polanyi read Newman’s Grammar of Assent twice and took at least five pages of notes on it; he also had a copy of the book in his personal library when he died. He mentioned his reading to a friend, but indicated that he could not quote Newman because to do so would distort Newman’s meaning. The purpose of this essay is to defend the thesis that the similarities between the epistemologies are real and to speculate why diagramming the relationship between the two systems of thought was not a worthwhile project for Polanyi.