Richard Gelwick

Everyman Revived

Philosophy

“Drusilla Scott has accomplished an extremely difficult task by making clear and simple — but not reductive or simplistic — the thought of one of the major original philosophers of our century. Michael Polanyi's complexity and scope have defied popularization. Now we have a text that can charm and guide both the beginner and the expert into the importance of Polanyi's concepts such as 'tacit knowing.' Scott's personal acquaintance with Polanyi and her Oxonian acumen have made Polanyi's epistemology a compelling moral inspiration for an age of anxiety. Through her use of the tale of Everyman, Scott helps us to see how our ways of knowing can either destroy us or free us. As we approach the new millennium, Polanyi's thought, as interpreted by Scott, shows us how to continue with science, religion, and technology as a 'society of explorers.'”