Consciousness as Pure Self-Reflection in the Writings of Michael Polanyi

Abstract

Recognition that Michael Polanyi is one of the greatest minds of the Post-Modern era is rapidly increasing. His theory of tacit knowledge is one of Polanyi's most significant contributions to the philosophy of mind. In our view, that notion can be most fully understood when read in the context of his general assertions and assumptions about the nature of consciousness. Our analysis of Polanyi's use of the term finds three distinct meanings. These are: Consciousness 1, consciousness as self-awareness; Consciousness 2, consciousness as thoughts, feelings, perceptions, or the mental content of Consciousness 1; and, Consciousness 3, consciousness as understood in contrast to unconsciousness. Numerous instances of these usages are quoted and explained. In some cases, Polanyi's use of these terms is ambiguous, or misleading. This occurs especially with his use of the words attention and awareness. The paper concludes with the suggestion that social scientists, and other readers of Polanyi, who are interested in understanding his theory of can avoid the misleading connotations of those terms by heeding these few suggestions: (a). read the term awareness as focal attention; (b). read the term awareness as subsidiary reliance; and, (c). keep in mind that there are not two levels nor two kinds of awareness, but only one awareness: self-awareness.