Journal

What is Tradition and Discovery?

Tradition and Discovery: The Polanyi Society Journal (hereafter TAD) is an open access, digital academic journal that is independently published and owned by the Polanyi Society, an IRS 501(c)3 non-profit US corporation registered in Missouri. TAD is managed by an Editorial Board whose work is annually reviewed by the Board of Directors of the Polanyi Society. TAD is prepared for publication by Faithlab in Macon, Georgia.

TAD is indexed selectively in The Philosopher’s Index and Religious and Theological Abstracts and is included in the EBSCO online databases of academic and research journals, as well as the Directory of Open Access Journals.

The Library of Congress serial number for the digital TAD is ISSN 2154-1566 (online). The serial number for the earlier published printed TAD available in some libraries is ISSN 1057-1027 (print).

What do we publish?

TAD publishes both essays that have gone through a process of blind peer review and editorially reviewed solicited materials (such as review articles, book reviews, thematic issues, and invited addresses from Society meetings).

Since Michael Polanyi was a polymath whose writings contributed to many fields, the journal publishes scholarly essays which engage Polanyi’s work and its implications for a wide range of studies, including, but not limited to, aesthetics, chemistry, economics, ethics, intellectual history, literature, medicine, political and other areas of philosophy, psychology, sociology, and theology.

How often do we publish?

Beginning in 2024 with Vol 50, TAD publishes articles throughout the calendar year. When new articles are posted, a message is sent to over 800 people on the Polanyi Society mailing list. To be added to this list, e-mail (webmaster@polanyisociety.org).

Is Tradition and Discovery Open Access?

Yes. TAD provides open access to all issues because making research freely available to the public supports the exchange and growth of knowledge. Therefore, no individual or institution has to pay to access content. Anyone interested can read, search within, link to, download, and print articles and other materials from the TAD digital archives. This policy is in accordance with the description of Open Access provided by the Budapest Open Access Initiative. The use of TAD materials should conform to Creative Commons Open Access license CC BY-NC-ND.

The Society does, however, invite readers to become members of the Polanyi Society. For additional membership information or to renew membership, please go to the membership page.

Is Tradition and Discovery archived?

All issues are indexed and available on the Polanyi Society website.

Who holds the copyright to material published in TAD?

The copyright is held by the Polanyi Society (except in rare cases, noted on articles, in which an author retains the copyright). TAD allows readers to download, print, copy, distribute for non-commercial use, and link to the full texts of its articles. Readers can use TAD materials for any lawful purpose.

Do I need permission to republish materials that appear in TAD?

There is no need to ask permission from the Polanyi Society or the author, unless a particular article indicates the author has reserved the copyright. Should someone wish to republish parts of or all of TAD articles in other educational and scholarly publications we ask that the original TAD publication information be provided. Inquiries about republication should be sent to Martin Turkis (mturkis@yahoo.com).

What is our history?

TAD is the successor to earlier publications which the Polanyi Society began publishing in the seventies. The first newsletter, called “Society of Explorers,” was issued in the fall of 1972. In the Fall of 1973, the newsletter’s name was changed to “The Polanyi Society.” From the mid-eighties (Vol XII, No. 1) through July 2015 (Vol. XLI, No. 3) the publication was called Tradition and Discovery: The Polanyi Society Periodical and thereafter Tradition and Discovery: The Polanyi Society Journal.

Early issues contained diverse material such as announcements about and reports on Society meetings, membership lists, bibliographic data, book reviews and short essays, some of which was reprinted from Convivium: The United Kingdom Review of Post-critical Thought (the publication of the United Kingdom counterpart to the Polanyi Society whose name was also Convivium). Beginning in the fall of 1983, articles and reviews became the major content of Tradition and Discovery.

Questions about early publications of the Polanyi Society can be sent to Phil Mullins (mullins@missouriwestern.edu).