Phenomenological constraints on theories for high temperature superconductivity

This is an attempt at a coherent view of the normal and superconductive state properties of the high-temperature superconducting materials. The discussion is organized as follows: Phenomenology of the Normal state anomalies, where it is shown that a single hypothesis about the charge and spin polarizability is enough to understand essentially all their properties. Phenomenology of the Superconductive state. Lessons from the Phenomenology. Phenomenology for the choice of a Microscopic Model. Comparison of the Bi-O family with the Cu-O family. Speculations on the Physics of the Magic Polarizability. (author). 30 refs, 18 figs