{"id":29145,"date":"2022-10-19T07:45:39","date_gmt":"2022-10-19T14:45:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/?p=29145"},"modified":"2022-10-18T20:11:26","modified_gmt":"2022-10-19T03:11:26","slug":"beginning-with-the-end-in-mind","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/beginning-with-the-end-in-mind\/","title":{"rendered":"Beginning with the End in Mind"},"content":{"rendered":"

One author described The Tacit Dimension<\/em> as a book that is \u201ca must-read one in the field of knowledge management.\u201d[1]<\/a> He describes tacit knowledge as the process of identifying a person by their features in a large group of people and references a second example of a pianist playing the piano. With uncanny ability, a professional pianist can play the correct keys with incredible speed, accuracy, and pressure at precisely the right time. The author writes,<\/p>\n

This is a type of activity that involves a tacit form of knowledge and comes through long-term practice and performance\u2026 The process becomes involuntary after internalization, and in order to make it perfect, repeated practice is necessary.[2]<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

What struck me most about this blog was the author\u2019s deafness to hear the heart and passion of Michael Polanyi<\/em>. Polanyi was an exceptional scientist known throughout the world for his superb innovation in the field of science, particularly physical chemistry. Interestingly, Polanyi did not limit himself to the field of science. As gifted and passionate as he was about the subject, a deep yearning for more led him to turn to a new path of philosophy.[3]<\/a> Beginning with the end in mind, Polanyi concluded his book by boldly claiming that<\/p>\n

Men need a purpose which bears on eternity. Truth does that; our ideals do it; and this might be enough, if we could ever be satisfied with our manifest moral shortcomings and with a society which has such shortcomings fatally involving in its workings<\/strong>\u201d (bold print mine).[4]<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Science did not possess all the answers, nor did philosophy. One almost hears a sense of despair, much like Paul in Romans 7:24, \u201cWretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this\u00a0death?\u201d[5]<\/a> Yet, a good friend of Polanyi, Thomas F.Torrance, wrote that<\/p>\n

Michael regarded the relation between faith and reason as fundamental, and was committed to restore the priority of belief even in science: he loved to recall the Augustinian statement, \u201cUnless you believe, you will not understand.\u201d[6]<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Continuing Polanyi\u2019s statement at the end of the book, such a connection to the Christian faith makes sense. He concludes this great work with a teaser, wooing the reader to consider a God who alone provides purpose, which bears on eternity. He writes,<\/p>\n

Perhaps this problem cannot be resolved on secular grounds alone. But its religious solutions should become more feasible once religious faith is released from pressure by an absurd vision of the universe, and so there will open up instead a meaningful world which could resound to religion.[7]<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

After my first read of The Tacit Dimension<\/em>, I will confess that I, too, was like the author at the beginning of the blog, who merely saw and heard Polanyi’s dry, though incredible, insight. Yes, \u201cwe know more than we can tell\u201d, and yes, tacit knowledge is the key to both \u201c(1) know what to look for, and (2) have some idea about what else we may want to know.\u201d[8]<\/a> But there is more, a missing element that one might overlook if too quickly reading through the pages of Polanyi. As brilliant as a scientist and philosopher as he was, he left room for the mystery of the divine. This point alone is the key cornerstone by which such understanding and meaning can be gained. Polanyi writes,<\/p>\n

We have seen that tacit knowledge dwells in our awareness of particulars while bearing on an entity which the particulars jointly constitute. In order to share this indwelling, the pupil must presume that a teaching which appears meaningless to start with has in fact a meaning which can be discovered by hitting on the same kind of indwelling as the teaching is practicing.[9]<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

As I ponder these words, I find great comfort in knowing and believing even more that nothing is meaningless and that our divine Creator is the author of eternal purpose. Polanyi has masterfully provided a map to engage the mind and the heart as we lean into the broken, unknown, painful, and curious challenges we will face on this side of heaven. Leaders, especially those filled by the Spirit of God, are called not to lose hope, nor our sense of curiosity and wonder, but press in all the more, knowing that the Master will show the way as we boldly and faithfully walk in His ways. To the world, it may seem unwise and risky, but we know it is, in fact, the surest and most meaningful path to engage.<\/p>\n

[1]<\/a> Nithin Raj K, \u201cThe Tacit Dimension \u2014 Review,\u201d Medium<\/em>, November 30, 2020, accessed October 10, 2022, https:\/\/nithinrajkairali.medium.com\/the-tacit-dimension-review-53aa14508880.<\/p>\n

[2]<\/a> Ibid.<\/p>\n

[3]<\/a> Michael Polanyi and Amartya Sen, The Tacit Dimension<\/em> (Chicago\u202f; London: University of Chicago Press, 2009), 3.<\/p>\n

[4]<\/a> Ibid., 92.<\/p>\n

[5]<\/a> New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update<\/em>.<\/p>\n

[6]<\/a> Thomas F Torrance, \u201cMichael Polanyi and the Christian Faith \u2014a Personal Report\u201d (n.d.): 27.<\/p>\n

[7]<\/a> Polanyi and Sen, The Tacit Dimension<\/em>, 92.<\/p>\n

[8]<\/a> Ibid., xi.<\/p>\n

[9]<\/a> Ibid., 61.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

One author described The Tacit Dimension as a book that is \u201ca must-read one in the field of knowledge management.\u201d[1] He describes tacit knowledge as the process of identifying a person by their features in a large group of people and references a second example of a pianist playing the piano. With uncanny ability, a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":142,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[2397,4],"class_list":["post-29145","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-michael-polanyi","tag-polanyi","cohort-lgp11"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29145","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/142"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29145"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29145\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29146,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29145\/revisions\/29146"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29145"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29145"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29145"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}