The purpose of this investigation is twofold: first, to show that the modern scientific worldview is, in essence, reductionist and totalizing and, second, to critique the drive behind modern science, which I call ‘scientific thinking,’ showing how this drive blocks all legitimate channels of hope. The first two chapters examine the unacknowledged worldview, or metaphysics, of modernity and how this worldview diminishes the “stature of man” (Arendt). In the third and fourth chapters, I draw from the works of Polanyi to show the way toward a more humane science, which is founded on authority and tradition and does not preclude the scientist’s judgement and responsibility. In the fourth chapter, I focus on what Polanyi calls the “tacit,” that is, the underlying basis of all formalizable knowledge. The final chapter takes a closer look at the posture of hope, as articulated by Marcel, and how far we are from it.
