Tacit knowledge
lastmod 2026-07-13created 2026-07-132 edits
Tacit knowledge is a term coined by the Hungarian-born philosopher Michael Polanyi. It is a type of knowledge that cannot be expressed in a form such as language; it is knowledge built up in the body through experience and learning. Tacit knowledge that has been given form and expressed in an explicitly knowable way is called explicit knowledge, or formal knowledge. Tacit knowledge is a concept showing that "if there is such a thing as knowledge, behind it there is always an implicit dimension of 'knowing.'" It refers to knowledge that an individual has acquired through learning and experience but that is not outwardly visible; as internal knowledge, it can be acquired through indirect methods such as observing the behavior of individuals and organizations.
For example, in the case of riding a bicycle, once a person remembers how to ride, they do not forget how even as years pass. This is so even though riding a bicycle involves many difficult skills. And it is difficult to explain it to others in words. In other words, although it is not made explicitly conscious, the human body always has a process at work that implicitly carries out complex control, and this is what makes controlling a bicycle possible.
Therefore, even if one tries to "arbitrarily" remove the human factor from knowledge, it can never be reduced by such manipulation. Doing so would also deny the implicit process of "knowing," ultimately destroying knowledge itself. "Tacit knowledge" is often equated simply with "knowledge that cannot be obtained through words," but this is a misunderstanding.
It is similar to, but different from, implicit memory.
See also
- AI
- Korean: 암묵적 기억 (implicit memory)
- Formal knowledge