Guide to Personal Knowledge: The Philosophy of Michael Polanyi

Paksi and Héder have written a very important book about one of the twentieth, and now twenty-first, century’s most essential, yet least understood or considered topics, the act of knowing. In their “Guide to Personal Knowledge,” Paksi and Héder serve as our conversation partners, carefully and thoughtfully unpacking for us Michael Polanyi’s magnum opus, “Personal Knowledge.”

For the novice, Paksi and Héder’s book provides a valuable introduction, as Polanyi’s work, while magnificent, is challenging for any first-time reader to successfully summit, let alone begin to ascend. For those familiar with Polanyi’s thought, Paksi and Héder share a personal grasp of it - formed by their experience, insight, and expertise - allowing readers to see how their own provisional understanding might or might not align with that of the authors.

This is a book I wish I had a dozen years ago. Well done.

Bruce Vojak

University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; Breakthrough Innovation Advisors, LLC