"My title is intended to suggest that the community of scientists is organized in a way which resembles certain features of a body politic and works according to economic principles similar to those by which the production of material goods is regulated"
- Michael Polanyi
About this Quote
This quote by Michael Polanyi suggests that the scientific neighborhood is organized in such a way that resembles a political body, and that it runs according to financial principles. This indicates that the clinical community is structured in a hierarchical way, with particular people having more authority than others. In addition, it recommends that the production of clinical knowledge is controlled by financial concepts, such as the allowance of resources and the department of labor. This indicates that the production of scientific understanding undergoes the very same financial forces that govern the production of material items. Simply put, the production of clinical knowledge goes through the exact same financial laws that govern the production of material goods. This quote highlights the importance of financial principles in the production of clinical understanding, and suggests that the scientific community is arranged in such a way that is similar to a political body.
"Creating the kind of connections between people that lead to collective civic action, political expression, community dialogue, shared cultural experiences"
"To separate children from others of similar age and qualifications solely because of their race generates a feeling of inferiority as to their status in the community that may affect their hearts and minds in a way unlikely ever to be undone"
"It's not just the effect of technology on the environment, on religion, on the economic structure, on society, on politics, etc. It's that everything now exists in technology to the point where technology is the new and comprehensive host of nature of life"
"The first panacea for a mismanaged nation is inflation of the currency; the second is war. Both bring a temporary prosperity; both bring a permanent ruin. But both are the refuge of political and economic opportunists"
"All you now do is pursue your private objectives within society. Instead of us being a community, everybody is asked to seek their own personal ends. It's called competition. And competition is antagonism"
"Amongst Women concentrated on the family, and the new book concentrates on a small community. The dominant units in Irish society are the family and the locality. The idea was that the whole world would grow out from that small space"