Paul Medow, The Place of K. Polanyi in the History of Thought about Rationality and Society
1. The Hegelian tradition meant a recognition of the reality of functional relations, that overcome the influence of the concept of the law of nature on man’s interpretation of the relations of society to the individual that prevailed during the Enlightenment. But the Maine tradition then led to a renewed emphasis on personal rationality in this regard, that was most pronounced in the works of Weber and of his successors (Tawney, Fromm).
Already in Tawney, however, an element of normativism appeared, which derived from a recognition of the concept of society. It was also present in Fromm, who associated rationality with a general image of man.
The missing link was provided by the works of Polanyi, who represents a continuation of the Hegelian tradition, on the one hand, which recognizes the reality of the functional relations in society (extended to the reality of the industrial structure), a concern with normativism in the field of socio-political measures, and a concern with existential ethics (the problem of fascism in industrial societies) as well.
In this perspective the place of personal rationality is different from the one it occupies both in the Hegelian tradition and in the Maine tradition (it is these two, and no longer Smith’s view of the law of nature, which have become the issue). It is one in which man must recognize the reality of means ends relationship, and then utilize them in the light of his own preferences and norms in so far as it is possible, the ultimate concern being with existential problems and meaningful spiritual living.