Quote of the Day: tacit knowledge

[timelets]

Polanyi’s well-known example of tacit knowledge is the skill associated with bicycle riding. The formal dynamics of balance on a bicycle do not comprise the rules of riding. A rider may know nothing of centers of gravity and gyroscopic forces yet can still ride, whereas the most expert bicycle engineer may not be able to do so. The rider knows how to ride but without being able to say how; indeed, too much self-conscious attention tends to be counterproductive.

The same tacit qualities apply equally to nonphysical cultural skills, such as recognizing significant objects in a “noisy” environment.



H.M. Collins, ibid.