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Michael Polanyi | |
|---|---|
 Polanyi in England, 1933 | |
| Born | Pollacsek Mihály 11 March 1891 |
| Died | 22 February 1976 (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(s) | Professor of physical chemistry, professor of social studies |
| Employer(s) | 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 | Magda Kemeny |
| Children | 2, including John |
| Relatives |
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| Awards | Gifford Lectures (1951–1952) Fellow of the Royal Society (1944) |
Michael Polanyi FRS[1] (/poʊˈlænji/ poh-LAN-yee; Hungarian: Polányi Mihály; 11 March 1891 – 22 February 1976) was a Hungarian-British[2] polymath, who made important theoretical contributions to physical chemistry, economics, and philosophy. He argued that positivism is a false account of knowing.
His wide-ranging research in physical science included chemical kinetics, x-ray diffraction, and adsorption of gases. He pioneered the theory of fibre diffraction analysis in 1921, and the dislocation theory of plastic deformation of ductile metals and other materials in 1934. He emigrated to Germany, in 1926 becoming a chemistry professor at the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute in Berlin, and then in 1933 to England, becoming first a chemistry professor, and then a social sciences professor at the University of Manchester. Two of his pupils won the Nobel Prize, as well as one of his children. In 1944 Polanyi was elected to the Royal Society.
The contributions which Polanyi made to the social sciences include the concept of a polycentric spontaneous order and his rejection of a value neutral conception of liberty. They were developed in the context of his opposition to central planning.[3]
- ^ Wigner, E. P.; Hodgkin, R. A. (1977). "Michael Polanyi. 12 March 1891 – 22 February 1976". Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society. 23: 413. doi:10.1098/rsbm.1977.0016.
- ^ Lévay, Júlia (20 September 2016). "A holográfia és a hologramok". mimicsoda.hu. Mi Micsoda.
- ^ Biro, Gabor (2022). "From Red Spirit to Underperforming Pyramids and Coercive Institutions: Michael Polanyi Against Economic Planning," History of European Ideas, 2022". History of European Ideas. 48 (6): 811–847. doi:10.1080/01916599.2021.2009359. S2CID 225260656.