A Realist Approach to Science Education: Based on Michael Polanyi's Scientific Realism

ABSTRACT Science education is undergoing a period of transition that includes, among many others, the themes of the practice turn, post‐truth, and post‐human. Given these, in this paper, we propose adopting Michael Polanyi's scientific realism as a stance for K‐12 science education. Although realism is an important topic in the philosophy of science, its influence on other related disciplines is limited. Especially, the field of science education has somehow eschewed the reality issue. However, Polanyi's scientific realism, which incorporates both ontological and epistemological dimensions of realism, offers valuable implications for enriching science education. In this theoretical paper, we first present three themes and reasons for considering scientific realism, particularly Polanyi's scientific realism, as a stance for K‐12 science education: it provides insights for current science education reform, for educational responses to post‐truth challenges, and for post‐human science education. We then explore Polanyi's original concept of reality and the properties of reality based on the notion of the indeterminate future manifestations (IFM) effect. We also examine the necessary conditions for pursuing reality—personal commitment and intellectual passions––and the ways of making contact with reality—tacit knowing, indwelling, and embodiment. Finally, we suggest implications of Polanyi's scientific realism for K‐12 science education in relation to the three themes and reasons presented earlier and propose directions for future research in science education.