Polanyi.Tacit.Knowledge
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On Being a Confessional Church by Gregory Edward Reynolds
On Being a Confessional Church by Gregory Edward Reynolds In 1980, at my first General Assembly, in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, the late Bernard “Chip” Stonehouse exhorted rookie commissioners to wait five years before we opened our mouths in debate. Fresh out of seminary I thought my Old School theology made my position superior to Chip’s on most questions. However, I am pleased to have heeded his exhortation. Over the past several decades I have been privileged to observe and participate in a system of church government based on principles that are self-consciously Biblical. It has been difficult at times to learn to think and communicate in a way different from my native egalitarian instincts. As an outsider, raised in liberal New England Congregationalism, it took a conscious effort, time and experience to learn to participate in the culture of Presbyterianism. I am glad I waited. Chip gave us good advice on this point. With an increasing number of ministers entering the OPC from outside the Presbyterian tradition, and with the increasing variety of seminary training of our ministers, I would like to pass on some thoughts on what it means to be a confessional church. I, with my fellow officers, have taken a vow to uphold the purity, peace and unity of the church. I believe that only a truly confessional church has the ability to keep such a vow, because we have corporately agreed on what we believe. If we cannot continue our agreement we will face, as is perhaps already evident, a confessional crisis. As one astute observer of the last General Assembly comments: “The church is particularly ill-equipped to judge the way in which her subordinate standards serve to establish both the unity and the diversity of its faith. -
Michael Polanyi and the History of Science
Michael Polanyi and the History of Science Gerald Holton © 1992 Mallinckrodt Professor of Physics and Professor of History of Science Jefferson Physical Laboratory, Harvard University Cambridge, MA 02l38 Editor’s Note: The following article was developed from Professor Holton’s invited keynote address at the Polanyi centennial conference at Harvard Divinity School, February 28, l992. ABSTRACT This essay is a study of Polanyi’s career as scientist and philosopher from the point of view of the history of science, starting with the first step in his academic career helped by an intervention of Albert Einstein. Polanyi’s ideas are better understood if placed against the background of then-fashionable philosophical movements, including logical positivism, and his disagreement with Bukharin in 1935. The essay studies the sources and ambitions of Polanyi’s notion of the tacit dimension, his attitude to evolution and “emergence,” and his contribution to the search for the origins of Einstein’s Relativity Theory. His success in the last of these is shown to be an exemplar of Polanyi’s own philosophy. Biographical Background I have been asked to talk about Michael Polanyi’s career as a scientist and philosopher from the point of view of history of science, and also his contribution to the history of science. But in order to arrive at my conclusions, I shall have to make some excursions also into other fields, such as the branches of politics and epistemology that were fashionable during his career. For it is fair to say that Polanyi, or as he was named at his birth in March l89l in Budapest, Mihaly Polanyi, was a unique person in the history of science, not least in the spectrum of his interests. -
Michael Polanyi and the Society of Explorers
MICHAEL POLANYI AND THE SOCIETY OF EXPLORERS Colin Cordner Keywords: Republic of Science, Society of Explorers, political science, political philoso- phy, conviviality, spontaneous order, emergence, tradition, reform, authority, economy ABSTRACT1 For Polanyi, the Society of Explorers (SoE) describes the ideal form of a free society. He does not, however, provide us with a thick description of such a society. This essay attempts to do so by bringing together his later social and political thoughts with those set forth in his discussion of “Conviviality.” Introduction The purpose of this essay will be to flesh-out Polanyi’s thoughts on the Society of Explorers (SoE) as the ideal form of a free society, thoughts which he developed out of the concrete exemplar of the Republic of Science (RoS). I perceive that this exercise is necessary for two reasons. Firstly, while suggestive, Polanyi was not thor- ough in extrapolating the implications of his own political studies. Secondly, while Polanyi spends much time in his writings correcting misunderstandings of science and scientific practice, he does not always explicitly fold those corrections into his writings on the SoE. Consequently, we are left with a haze hovering between us and a definite apprehension of the SoE. In this essay, I argue it is consistent with Polanyi’s thoughts to say that a free soci- ety, at its best, is a SoE. As such, it exemplifies, from its lowest to its highest layers, the dynamic, spontaneous order which is practiced within the RoS. At its uppermost layer, the noosphere (which signifies a society’s heritage of the mind), and the cultural institutions of the SoE’s borders expand beyond those of the RoS in order to include the Tradition & Discovery: The Journal of the Polanyi Society 45:3 © 2019 by the Polanyi Society 45 broader plurality of humanity’s highest pursuits and endeavours. -
The Shepherd Student
WRS Journal 12:2 (August 2005): 27-36 THE SHEPHERD STUDENT Earl L. Brown, Jr. Breath of Breath1 says Qoheleth,2 the whole is breath. Not only was Qoheleth wise but he also taught knowledge to the people; he studiously weighed3 and arranged many proverbs. Qoheleth sought to find delightful words,4 and to write true words with precision.5 The words of the sages are like prods, and the collected sayings are like firmly fixed nails; they are given by one shepherd6 Be warned, my son, of anything in addition to them. There is no end to the making of many books, and much study is wearisome to the body.7 Having heard everything, I have reached this conclusion. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will evaluate every deed, including every secret thing, whether good or evil. Ecclesiastes 12:8-14 [Brown adaptation of NET Bible8] The text set before us is not only the key to the interpretation of the book, but it accurately coalesces the convergent philosophy of life as a précis of the life of Solomon,9 as it is paraphrased in the lives of Robert Dick Wilson, Allan MacRae, and Robert W. Anderson.10 Life Transitions: From Solomon to Jesus, From David’s Son to David’s Greater Son Solomon was the Old Covenant prototype for the masterful Shepherd Student. Unlike Solomon, however, Jesus learned in his earthly human nature, obedience “through the things which he suffered” (Heb 5:8). It is in this capacity that Christ in the New Covenant provides a superior Shepherd and student (see 1 Pet 2:21). -
Deuteronomy 202 1 Edition Dr
Notes on Deuteronomy 202 1 Edition Dr. Thomas L. Constable TITLE The title of this book in the Hebrew Bible was its first two words, 'elleh haddebarim, which translate into English as "these are the words" (1:1). Ancient Near Eastern suzerainty treaties began the same way.1 So the Jewish title gives a strong clue to the literary character of Deuteronomy. The English title comes from a Latinized form of the Septuagint (Greek) translation title. "Deuteronomy" means "second law" in Greek. We might suppose that this title arose from the idea that Deuteronomy records the law as Moses repeated it to the new generation of Israelites who were preparing to enter the land, but this is not the case. It came from a mistranslation of a phrase in 17:18. In that passage, God commanded Israel's kings to prepare "a copy of this law" for themselves. The Septuagint translators mistakenly rendered this phrase "this second [repeated] law." The Vulgate (Latin) translation, influenced by the Septuagint, translated the phrase "second law" as deuteronomium, from which "Deuteronomy" is a transliteration. The Book of Deuteronomy is, to some extent, however, a repetition to the new generation of the Law that God gave at Mt. Sinai. For example, about 50 percent of the "Book of the Covenant" (Exod. 20:23— 23:33) is paralleled in Deuteronomy.2 Thus God overruled the translators' error, and gave us a title for the book in English that is appropriate, in view of the contents of the book.3 1Meredith G. Kline, "Deuteronomy," in The Wycliffe Bible Commentary, p. -
Personal Knowledge: Towards a Post-Critical Philosophy
PERSONAL KNOWLEDGE PERSONAL KNOWLEDGE Towards a Post-Critical Philosophy by MICHAEL POLANYI London First published 1958 corrected edition 1962 by Routledge & Kegan Paul Ltd © 1958, 1962 Michael Polanyi Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2005. “To purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor & Francis or Routledge's collection of thousands of eBooks please go to www.eBookstore.tandf.co.uk.” All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. ISBN 0-203-44215-6 Master e-book ISBN ISBN 0-203-75039-X (Adobe e-Reader Format) ISBN 0-415-15149-X (Print Edition) To SIR THOMAS AND LADY TAYLOR PREFACE THIS is primarily an enquiry into the nature and justification of scientific knowledge. But my reconsideration of scientific knowledge leads on to a wide range of questions outside science. I start by rejecting the ideal of scientific detachment. In the exact sciences, this false ideal is perhaps harmless, for it is in fact disregarded there by scientists. But we shall see that it exercises a destructive influence in biology, psychology and sociology, and falsifies our whole outlook far beyond the domain of science. I want to establish an alternative ideal of knowledge, quite generally. -
Thy Word Is Still Truth: Essential Writings on the Doctrine of Scripture from the Reformation to Today Peter A
Cedarville University DigitalCommons@Cedarville Alumni Book Gallery 10-28-2013 Thy Word Is Still Truth: Essential Writings on the Doctrine of Scripture from the Reformation to Today Peter A. Lillback Richard B. Gaffinr J . Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.cedarville.edu/alum_books Part of the Biblical Studies Commons, and the Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons Recommended Citation Lillback, Peter A. and Gaffin, Richard B. Jr., "Thy Word Is Still Truth: Essential Writings on the Doctrine of Scripture from the Reformation to Today" (2013). Alumni Book Gallery. 305. https://digitalcommons.cedarville.edu/alum_books/305 This Book is brought to you for free and open access by DigitalCommons@Cedarville, a service of the Centennial Library. It has been accepted for inclusion in Alumni Book Gallery by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@Cedarville. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Thy Word Is Still Truth: Essential Writings on the Doctrine of Scripture from the Reformation to Today Keywords Bible, doctrine Disciplines Biblical Studies | Religion | Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Publisher P & R Publishing Publisher's Note Reprinted from Thy Word Is Still Truth: Essential Writings on the Doctrine of Scripture from the Reformation to Today edited by Peter A. Lillback and Richard B. Gaffinr J ., copyright 2013, P&R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ. ISBN 9781596384477 This book is available at DigitalCommons@Cedarville: https://digitalcommons.cedarville.edu/alum_books/305 -
Aristotelian Induction Or Peircean Abduction?
POLANYI’S “ILLUMINATION”: ARISTOTELIAN INDUCTION OR PEIRCEAN ABDUCTION? Jon Fennell Keywords: illumination, induction, Aristotelian induction, abduction, Aristotle, Peirce, Louis Groarke, verification, justification ABSTRACT Illumination is a prominent feature of the phenomenon of discovery that is at the heart of Polanyi’s Personal Knowledge. Illumination is prominent as well in Louis Groarke’s “Aristotelian induction” and C. S. Peirce’s abduction. This study pursues the question of whether the term has similar meaning across these three contexts. Close examination of what is said about illumination in each of them shows that Groarke assigns an epistemological autonomy to illumination that is recognized by neither Polanyi nor Peirce. Further, Polanyi and Peirce concur in the role assigned to verification and thereby in the importance of temporality and a community of inquiry. Michael Polanyi in Personal Knowledge strikingly and at length dwells on the “illumination” that is for him an essential aspect and the most dramatic moment in discovery. Speaking enthusiastically from personal experience, he affirms that illumina- tion “is the plunge by which we gain a foothold at another shore of reality.”1 The further one proceeds into Personal Knowledge, the clearer it becomes why Polanyi begins the book with “The Lesson of the Copernican Revolution” and then acclaims Ernst Mach’s “super-Copernican vision” which was itself a prefiguring of “the great theoretic vision of Einstein” (PK, 12). Such seeing in an unprecedented fashion, whether it belong to a great mind on the frontiers of knowledge or to an ordinary individual coming 42 Tradition & Discovery: The Journal of the Polanyi Society 42:3 to understand something in the world, plays a central role in Polanyi’s philosophical anthropology. -
MC 601K—Reformed Ecclesiology and Polity Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary Instructor: Preston Graham Jr
MC 601K—Reformed Ecclesiology and Polity Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary Instructor: Preston Graham Jr. Fall Semester 2007 (Fridays: 1:15-4:15) Course Description: No extent of space interferes with the boundless energy of the Spirit, which transfuses life into us from the flesh of Christ. John Calvin, Corpus Reformatorum A lofty conception of the sacramental nature of the church indeed! And yet it formed the basis for John Calvin’s conception of the church as the New Covenant temple of God, so much so that He would later declare, Beyond the pale of the Church, no forgiveness of sins, no salvation, can be hoped for... and hence the abandonment of the Church is always fatal? John Calvin, Institutes (4.1.4) This course will seek to construct an ecclesial and pastoral theology in conversation with the historic Reformed tradition together with its practical relevance to contemporary ministry. Divided into two parts, ecclesial and pastoral theology respectively, both topics will be explored beginning with a redemptive-historical analysis moving to a confessional analysis and then finally to a contemporary analysis. The theological premise reflected throughout the course concerns the sacramental nature of the gospel, or the mediated presence of God unto salvation, as this then is reflected in a “temple” theology of the church and a “priestly” theology of the pastorate, albeit reflected in the classic reformed tradition. Our theological construction will result in both a “High gospel” (gospel centered and missional) and a “High Church” (confessional, sacramental and communal) spirituality relevant to today’s emergent ministry. Course Structure and Requirements: Structure: The course will be set up as a readings course coupled with classroom discussions and presentations. -
Ronald T. Clutter, "The Reorganization of Princeton
Grace Theological Journal 7.2 (1986) 179- 201 THE REORGANIZATION OF PRINCETON THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY RECONSIDERED RONALD T. CLUTTER The reorganization of Princeton Theological Seminary, leading to the withdrawal of J. Gresham Machen, Oswald T. Allis, Cornelius Van Til, and Robert Dick Wilson, is identified often as a triumph of modernism in its conflict with fundamentalism in the churches in the 1920s. However, a consideration of the situation at Princeton and of the events which took place within and outside the institution leads to a different conclusion. The controversy at Princeton involved evangelical Presbyterians, all claiming loyalty to the tradition of the seminary. The conflict arose due to competing philosophies of seminary education and differing solutions for dealing with liberalism in the denomination. In this confrontation, pitting one evangelical faction against another, Prince ton Seminary suffered privately and publicly. The denomination was called upon to assist in resolving the problem. The solution enacted by the denomination resulted in the departure from the seminary ofsome of the most capable defenders of the evangelicalfaith. * * * INTRODUCTION T the centennial celebration of Princeton Theological Seminary in A 1912, institution president, Francis Landey Patton, declared that "the theological position of Princeton Seminary has remained un changed.'" At the sesquicentennial celebration, H~gh T. Kerr stated: "It is no secret that many contemporary professors at the seminary feel completely out of touch theologically with their predecessors of a generation or more ago on such issues as Biblical criticism, apolo getics, the sacraments, and the interpretation of the Westminster IFrancis Landey Patton. "Princeton Seminary and the Faith," in The Centennial Celebration of the Theological Seminary of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America (n.p., n.d.) 354. -
Michael Polanyi's Vision of Economics: Spanning Hayek And
Michael Polanyi’s vision of economics: Spanning Hayek and Keynes Agnès Festré To cite this version: Agnès Festré. Michael Polanyi’s vision of economics: Spanning Hayek and Keynes. 2020. halshs- 03036824 HAL Id: halshs-03036824 https://halshs.archives-ouvertes.fr/halshs-03036824 Preprint submitted on 2 Dec 2020 HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci- destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents entific research documents, whether they are pub- scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, lished or not. The documents may come from émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de teaching and research institutions in France or recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires abroad, or from public or private research centers. publics ou privés. MICHAEL POLANYI’ VISION OF ECONOMICS: SPANNING HAYEK AND KEYNES Documents de travail GREDEG GREDEG Working Papers Series Agnès Festré GREDEG WP No. 2019-41 https://ideas.repec.org/s/gre/wpaper.html Les opinions exprimées dans la série des Documents de travail GREDEG sont celles des auteurs et ne reflèlent pas nécessairement celles de l’institution. Les documents n’ont pas été soumis à un rapport formel et sont donc inclus dans cette série pour obtenir des commentaires et encourager la discussion. Les droits sur les documents appartiennent aux auteurs. The views expressed in the GREDEG Working Paper Series are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the institution. The Working Papers have not undergone formal review and approval. Such papers are included in this series to elicit feedback and to encourage debate. -
When Science Gets Personal: an Analysis of Scientific Practices According to Michael Polanyi and Thomas Kuhn
When Science Gets Personal: An Analysis of Scientific Practices According to Michael Polanyi and Thomas Kuhn by Edmund Kwok-Fai Lo A Thesis submitted to the Faculty of Regis College and the Graduate Centre for Theological Studies of the Toronto School of Theology. In partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Theology awarded by Regis College and the University of Toronto. © Copyright by Edmund Kwok-Fai Lo 2019 When Science Gets Personal: An Analysis of Scientific Practices According to Michael Polanyi and Thomas Kuhn Edmund Kwok-Fai Lo Master of Theology Regis College and the University of Toronto 2019 Abstract An examination of scientific practices according to Michael Polanyi and Thomas Kuhn reveals a unique involvement of scientists on a personal level. Such a personal involvement reveals the teleology behind scientific practices through the intentions of the scientists. According to Polanyi, scientists are in search of truth in reality; for Kuhn, scientists strive to solve scientific problems as puzzles. Such differences are reflected in a potential science-religion dialogue: A Polanyian approach can find common ground with religion, while a Kuhnian approach either leads to a confrontation or a parting of ways with religion due to unresolvable conflicts. By using Polanyi’s interpretive framework that is personal knowledge, the personal nature of scientific practices overlaps with the personal nature of religious practices, with the common ground being the truth-seeking person. ii Contents Introduction ...................................................................................................................