Michael Polanyi and Lucian Blaga as Philosophers of Knowledge :: Philosophy Philosophical Essays

Michael Polanyi and Lucian Blaga as Philosophers of Knowledge ABSTRACT: Polanyi and Blaga are two centennial philosophers who could be compared. They both are philosophers who have abandoned the attempt to analyze science as the form of culture capable of complete objectivity and the language solely in terms of its referential force, to make representational knowledge impersonal and to split fact from value. 1. Polanyi's epistemology Polanyi and Blaga are two centennial philosophers who could be put into comparison. Both are philosophers who have abandoned the attempt to analyze science as the form of culture capable of complete objectivity, to analyze language solely in terms of its referential force, and to make representational knowledge impersonal and to split fact from value. Michael Polanyi affirms the irreducible involvement of personal commitment in the perception and understanding of transpersonal reality. He is against the representational expressivist theory of language. According to his theory all assertion of fact expresses beliefs, and are essentially accompanied by feelings of satisfaction or of desire. The act of knowing includes an appraisal, a personal coefficient that shapes all factual knowledge. Polanyi emphasizes the role of the activity of the knower in the formation of knowledge and also is aware of their variability while insisting that we aim at truth 'with universal intent' 'although we can never quite get there'. His book Personal Knowledge should help to restore science to its rightful place in an integrated culture as part of the whole person's continuing endeavor to make sense of the totality of his experience. 'True' means something different in different societies. The critical period of Western philosophy, opened by Descartes and brought to its coming to an end, and the post-critical era is emerging. Michael Polanyi, it appears to me, is the most important philosophical figure opening up this new direction and delineating its basic elements. Regarding the critical pretensions to have found a way, either through philosophical rationality or by means of scientific method, to a universal perspective, Polanyi points out that thinkers of the critical period have pursued 'a mistaken ideal of objectivity'. Thus, when we claim greater objectivity for Copernican theory, we do imply that its excellence is, not a matter of personal taste on our part, but an inherent quality deserving universal acceptance by rational creatures. We abandon the cruder anthropocentrism of our senses, but only favor of a more ambitious anthropocentrism of our reason (PK p. Michael Polanyi and Lucian Blaga as Philosophers of Knowledge :: Philosophy Philosophical Essays Michael Polanyi and Lucian Blaga as Philosophers of Knowledge ABSTRACT: Polanyi and Blaga are two centennial philosophers who could be compared. They both are philosophers who have abandoned the attempt to analyze science as the form of culture capable of complete objectivity and the language solely in terms of its referential force, to make representational knowledge impersonal and to split fact from value. 1. Polanyi's epistemology Polanyi and Blaga are two centennial philosophers who could be put into comparison. Both are philosophers who have abandoned the attempt to analyze science as the form of culture capable of complete objectivity, to analyze language solely in terms of its referential force, and to make representational knowledge impersonal and to split fact from value. Michael Polanyi affirms the irreducible involvement of personal commitment in the perception and understanding of transpersonal reality. He is against the representational expressivist theory of language. According to his theory all assertion of fact expresses beliefs, and are essentially accompanied by feelings of satisfaction or of desire. The act of knowing includes an appraisal, a personal coefficient that shapes all factual knowledge. Polanyi emphasizes the role of the activity of the knower in the formation of knowledge and also is aware of their variability while insisting that we aim at truth 'with universal intent' 'although we can never quite get there'. His book Personal Knowledge should help to restore science to its rightful place in an integrated culture as part of the whole person's continuing endeavor to make sense of the totality of his experience. 'True' means something different in different societies. The critical period of Western philosophy, opened by Descartes and brought to its coming to an end, and the post-critical era is emerging. Michael Polanyi, it appears to me, is the most important philosophical figure opening up this new direction and delineating its basic elements. Regarding the critical pretensions to have found a way, either through philosophical rationality or by means of scientific method, to a universal perspective, Polanyi points out that thinkers of the critical period have pursued 'a mistaken ideal of objectivity'. Thus, when we claim greater objectivity for Copernican theory, we do imply that its excellence is, not a matter of personal taste on our part, but an inherent quality deserving universal acceptance by rational creatures. We abandon the cruder anthropocentrism of our senses, but only favor of a more ambitious anthropocentrism of our reason (PK p.

Main Causes of Culture Shock Essay

Stepping out of one’s comfort zone is not an easy step to take, not to mention stepping into a foreign land. Culture shock is one of the very common problems many face, especially when travelling abroad. For the purpose of this essay, the term â€Å"culture shock† refers to the unfamiliar feeling of a new atmosphere when in another country. It also refers to the ability to adapt experience and accept another country’s culture. The main reasons of culture shock are difference in values, loneliness, as well as daily life challenges. To begin with, one of the main causes which contribute to the feeling of culture shock is due to the difference in values. Values may differ in terms of religion, laws, traditions, and customs. Many embarking on a journey to a foreign land have to accept and learn the foreign country’s values in order to be able to enjoy the richness of the local culture. However it may seem to be very difficult to accept the new values as it differs too much from another country’s culture, thus causing culture shock. A good example would be that many international students might have difficulties adopting the new values which the foreign country adopts, and might feel homesick due to the culture shock. Therefore, the difference in values is one of the main causes of culture shock. In addition, another cause of culture shock is due to the feeling of loneliness. The feeling of loneliness can cause many adverse effects, causing depression and anxiety. Many suffer from culture shock due to loneliness because, like a child in school for the first time, there are no familiar faces to be seen anywhere. It is a frightening experience as in a foreign land there might be a language barrier and a difference the lifestyle which may hinder the process of socialising and cause loneliness. A good example would be when international students live in home stays they might feel a sense of loneliness due to the fact that the environment in the home stay as well as the food served differs a lot from the student’s home back in their homeland. Therefore, loneliness is indeed another main cause of culture shock. The last and most important cause of culture shock is the daily life challenges. Like a fish out of the water, it is a very new environment when in a foreign country. The weather, transport, language to speak in becomes a challenge, as each country has its own individuality. It can be a daily struggle for many to adapt to these major differences and would take awhile to get used to the new environment. A good example would be that many migrants would take at least a month to climatise to the new temperatures as unlike Saudi Arabia with extremely hot weathers, countries like New Zealand have very cold temperatures. Thus, daily life challenges are the most important reason for culture shock as it is not easy to adapt to a new environment. To sum it up, culture shock is caused by the contrasts in beliefs and principles, it is also caused by the initial stages of feeling isolated from home and lastly it is also caused by the problems faced on a day to day basis. Perhaps the most important reason is the problems faced on a day to day basis. This is so as it would cause a significant amount of inconvenience and adapting to the individual for a period of time, thus undergoing a transition period to cope with culture shock.

Henrys Law Example Problem

Henrys law is a gas law  formulated by the British chemist William Henry in 1803. The law states that at a constant temperature, the amount of dissolved gas in a volume of a specified liquid is directly proportional to the partial pressure of the gas in equilibrium with the liquid. In other words, the amount of dissolved gas is directly proportional to the partial pressure of its gas phase. The law contains a proportionality factor that is called Henrys law constant. This example problem demonstrates how to use Henrys law to calculate the concentration of a gas in solution under pressure. Henrys Law Problem How many grams of carbon dioxide gas is dissolved in a 1 L bottle of carbonated water if the manufacturer uses a pressure of 2.4 atm in the bottling process at 25  °C?Given: KH of CO2 in water 29.76 atm/(mol/L) at 25  °CSolutionWhen a gas is dissolved in a liquid, the concentrations will eventually reach equilibrium between the source of the gas and the solution. Henrys law shows that the concentration of a solute gas in a solution is directly proportional to the partial pressure of the gas over the solution.P KHC where:P is the partial pressure of the gas above the solution.KH is the Henrys law constant for the solution.C is the concentration of the dissolved gas in solution.C P/KHC 2.4 atm/29.76 atm/(mol/L)C 0.08 mol/LSince we have only 1 L of water, we have 0.08 mol of CO. Convert moles to grams: mass of 1 mol of CO2 12(16x2) 1232 44 g g of CO2 mol CO2 x (44 g/mol)g of CO2 8.06 x 10-2 mol x 44 g/molg of CO2 3.52 gAnswer There are 3.52 g of CO2 dissolved in a 1 L bottle of carbonated water from the manufacturer. Before a can of soda is opened, nearly all the gas above the liquid is carbon dioxide. When the container is opened, the gas escapes, lowering the partial pressure of carbon dioxide and allowing the dissolved gas to come out of solution. This is why soda is fizzy. Other Forms of Henrys Law The formula for Henrys law may be written other ways to allow for easy calculations using different units, particularly of KH. Here are some common constants for gases in water at 298 K and the applicable forms of Henrys law: Equation KH = P/C KH = C/P KH = P/x KH = Caq / Cgas units [Lsoln  · atm / molgas] [molgas / Lsoln  · atm] [atm  · molsoln / molgas] dimensionless O2 769.23 1.3 E-3 4.259 E4 3.180 E-2 H2 1282.05 7.8 E-4 7.088 E4 1.907 E-2 CO2 29.41 3.4 E-2 0.163 E4 0.8317 N2 1639.34 6.1 E-4 9.077 E4 1.492 E-2 He 2702.7 3.7 E-4 14.97 E4 9.051 E-3 Ne 2222.22 4.5 E-4 12.30 E4 1.101 E-2 Ar 714.28 1.4 E-3 3.9555 E4 3.425 E-2 CO 1052.63 9.5 E-4 5.828 E4 2.324 E-2 Where: Lsoln is liters of solution.caq is moles of gas per liter of solution.P is partial pressure of the gas above the solution, typically in atmosphere absolute pressure.xaq is mole fraction of the gas in solution, which is approximately equal to the moles of gas per moles of water.atm refers to atmospheres of absolute pressure. Applications of Henrys Law Henrys law is only an approximation that is applicable for dilute solutions. The further a system diverges from ideal solutions ( as with any gas law), the less accurate the calculation will be. In general, Henrys law works best when the solute and solvent are chemically similar to each other. Henrys law is used in practical applications. For example, it is used to determine the amount of dissolved oxygen and nitrogen in the blood of divers to help determine the risk of decompression sickness (the bends). Reference for KH Values Francis L. Smith and Allan H. Harvey (Sept. 2007), Avoid Common Pitfalls When Using Henrys Law, Chemical Engineering Progress  (CEP), pp. 33-39