Tradition and Discovery: The Polanyi Society Periodical

Volume 21, Issue 2, 1994/1995

Un-chol Shin
Pages 16-28

The Role of Imagination in Integrative Knowledge
A Polanyian View

How do we know the degree of imagination involved in knowing a reality? This is essentially an epistemological question. This essay discusses first the role of imagination in Polanyi’s epistemology since it is used here as the basis of integrative reality. The essay then discusses the degree of imagination involved in three types of integrative reality that are found respectively in technology, science, and humanities. It concludes with a discussion on the role of imagination in education.