"I hold that the propositions embodied in natural science are not derived by any definite rule from the data of experience, and that they can neither be verified nor falsified by experience according to any definite rule"
- Michael Polanyi
About this Quote
This quote by Michael Polanyi recommends that the propositions of natural science are not originated from the information of experience in a simple way. Rather, he recommends that these proposals can not be confirmed or falsified by experience according to any definite guideline. This suggests that the proposals of life sciences are not always based on empirical evidence, but rather on theoretical presumptions and interpretations. This suggests that the proposals of natural science are not necessarily outright realities, but rather interpretations of the information of experience. This quote highlights the significance of vital thinking and the requirement to question the presumptions and analyses of life sciences. It likewise suggests that the proposals of life sciences should be open to discuss and conversation, rather than accepted as outright truths.
"But in Christianity, by contrast, the freedom of the children of God was also freedom from all important worldly interests, from all art and science, etc"
"I think philosophers can do things akin to theoretical scientists, in that, having read about empirical data, they too can think of what hypotheses and theories might account for that data. So there's a continuity between philosophy and science in that way"