Michael Polanyi facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

The native form of this personal name is Polányi Mihály. This article uses Western name order when mentioning individuals.

Quick facts for kids Professor Michael Polanyi FRS
Polanyi in England, 1933
Born	Pollacsek Mihály (1891-03-11)11 March 1891 Budapest, Austria-Hungary
Died	22 February 1976(1976-02-22) (aged 84) Northampton, England
Education	Graduated in medicine, 1913; PhD in physical chemistry, 1919
Alma mater	Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest Technische Hochschule, Karlsruhe University of Budapest
Occupation	Professor of physical chemistry, professor of social studies
Employer	Kaiser Wilhelm Institute University of Manchester Merton College, Oxford
Known for	Polanyi's paradox Polanyi's sphere Potential theory of Polanyi Bell–Evans–Polanyi principle Eyring–Polanyi equation Flow plasticity theory Transition state theory Harpoon reaction Tacit knowledge Post-critical
Spouse(s)	Magda Elizabeth Kemeny
Children	John Charles Polanyi, George Polanyi
Parent(s)	Michael and Cecilia Pollacsek
Relatives	Karl Polanyi (brother) Kari Polanyi Levitt (niece)
Awards	Gifford Lectures (1951-1952) Fellow of the Royal Society (1944)

Michael Polanyi (1891–1976) was a brilliant thinker from Hungary and Britain. He was known as a polymath, meaning he was an expert in many different fields. He made important discoveries in physical chemistry, economics, and philosophy.

Polanyi believed that knowing things isn't just about facts. He argued that no one can be completely neutral when they observe something. This means our personal views always play a part in what we understand.

His science work included studying how chemicals react, how X-rays pass through crystals, and how gases stick to surfaces. He also helped create the theory of fibre diffraction in 1921. In 1934, he worked on the theory of how metals bend and change shape without breaking.

Polanyi moved to Germany in 1926 to become a chemistry professor. Then, in 1933, he moved to England. There, he first taught chemistry and later became a professor of social sciences. Two of his students and his son, John Charles Polanyi, later won Nobel Prizes in Chemistry. In 1944, Polanyi became a member of the Royal Society, a famous group of scientists.

In social sciences, Polanyi helped us understand "tacit knowledge". This is knowledge we have but can't easily explain. He also thought that scientific research should be free and not controlled by governments. He believed that ideas grow best when people can explore them freely.

Life Story
His Important Work
Influence and What He Left Behind
See also

Life Story

Early Years

Michael Polanyi was born Mihály Pollacsek in Budapest, Hungary, on March 11, 1891. He was the fifth child of Mihály and Cecília Pollacsek. His family was Jewish. His father's family were business owners. His mother's father was a teacher of Jewish history.

The family later changed their last name to Polányi. Michael's father helped build many railways in Hungary. But he lost most of his money in 1899 because of bad weather. He died in 1905. Michael's mother, Cecília, started a famous meeting place for thinkers in Budapest. His older brother was Karl Polanyi, a well-known economist.

Schooling and Studies

After high school in 1909, Polanyi studied to become a doctor. He earned his medical degree in 1914. He also joined a group called the Galileo Circle. With help from a chemistry professor, he got a scholarship to study chemistry in Germany.

During World War I, he served as a medical officer in the army. In 1916, while on sick leave, he wrote his PhD paper on how gases stick to surfaces. Albert Einstein encouraged his research. In 1919, he earned his doctorate degree.

Career Path

In 1918, Polanyi became Secretary to the Minister of Health in Hungary. When a new government took over, he went back to medicine. Later, he moved to Karlsruhe, Germany. There, he was invited to join the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute in Berlin.

In 1923, he became a Christian and married Magda Elizabeth Kemeny. In 1926, he became a professor and head of a chemistry department. In 1929, his son John Charles Polanyi was born. John later won a Nobel Prize in chemistry in 1986. His other son, George, became an economist.

Polanyi became interested in economics because of the high inflation and unemployment in Germany. In 1933, when the Nazi party came to power, he moved to England. He became a professor of physical chemistry at the University of Manchester. Two of his students also won Nobel Prizes.

Because he became more interested in social sciences, Manchester University created a new special job for him in 1948. He taught social science until 1958. In 1944, Polanyi was elected a member of the Royal Society. After retiring, he became a research fellow at Merton College, Oxford.

His Important Work

Chemistry Discoveries

Polanyi's science interests were very broad. He worked on how chemicals react and how X-rays show the structure of materials. He also studied how gases stick to solid surfaces. His "potential adsorption theory" was a big idea, though it was debated for a while.

In 1921, he created the math for analyzing fibre diffraction. This helps understand the structure of materials like fibers. In 1934, he realized that the way metals bend and change shape (called plastic deformation) could be explained by tiny flaws in their structure called dislocations. This idea was very important for understanding how solid materials behave.

Freedom and Society

In 1936, Polanyi visited the Soviet Union. He learned that there, all science was controlled by the government. He saw how this harmed areas like genetics. When some people in Britain also wanted science to be centrally planned, Polanyi argued against it. He believed science needed free discussion. He helped start the "Society for Freedom in Science."

Polanyi wrote that scientists working together is like a free market. Just as shoppers decide what products are valuable, science grows best from open discussions among experts. He called this a "spontaneous order". He believed that free societies should not just protect personal freedoms, but also help people seek important ideals like truth and justice.

Polanyi also studied how money moves in an economy. He suggested that a central bank should help control economic ups and downs. In 1940, he made a film about economics, possibly the first ever. It suggested using government spending and tax cuts to help the economy during hard times.

All Knowledge is Personal

In his book Personal Knowledge (1958), Polanyi argued against the idea that science is just about facts and rules. He said that all knowledge, even scientific knowledge, depends on our personal judgments and beliefs. He believed that scientists don't just follow a method to find truth. Instead, they use their passion and commitment to discover new things.

Polanyi said that a great scientist not only sees patterns but also chooses important questions to solve. He used the example of Nicolaus Copernicus, who said the Earth revolves around the Sun. Polanyi believed Copernicus found this truth because it made more sense to him, not just by following a strict method. His ideas influenced other famous thinkers like Thomas Kuhn.

Polanyi also disagreed with the idea that our minds are just like computers following rules. He believed our "tacit knowledge" connects us to reality. This is the knowledge we have but can't always explain. He thought this was his most important discovery. He explained that we understand the world by putting together small pieces of information (subsidiary awareness) into a bigger picture (focal awareness).

Understanding Different Levels of Reality

Polanyi argued that the information in DNA is not just about physics and chemistry. He said that even though DNA needs physical properties, these properties are guided by higher-level rules. He criticized the idea that everything can be explained by simple mechanical laws.

He believed in "emergence". This means there are different levels of reality, and new properties can appear at higher levels. For example, our consciousness (mind) is a higher level that creates meaning. He thought that trying to reduce everything to lower levels (like saying the mind is just chemicals) can lead to problems. He called this a "moral inversion," where higher values are rejected. He saw Marxism as an example of this, where a government might ignore morality for what it calls "the logic of history."

Tacit Knowledge Explained

Tacit knowledge is a key idea from Polanyi. It's the knowledge we have about how to do something, even if we can't fully explain it. Think about riding a bicycle or playing a musical instrument. You know how to do it, but it's hard to put all the steps into words. This is different from "explicit knowledge," which is knowledge you can easily write down or explain.

Influence and What He Left Behind

Michael Polanyi's ideas continue to influence many fields. His work on personal knowledge and tacit knowledge is especially important in understanding how we learn and discover.