The Epistemology of the Unspoken: On the Concept of Tacit Knowledge in Contemporary Design Research

Abstract

Introduction The concept of tacit knowledge has advanced to become a prolific guiding principle in contemporary design research. In their attempts to describe knowledge within the scope of design, design researchers frequently draw on this concept and its related references. They attest that design is influenced by tacit knowledge in a distinctive way. However, in regard to the corresponding provisions of this form of knowledge, we must recognize that we cannot attain an understanding of the complexity of tacit knowledge using only philosophical categorizations or only the analysis of individual creative practices. Even more, we must recognize that tacit knowledge is not merely a “natural” phenomenon but is created in a social and discursive sense. In this article, we examine tacit knowledge from a cultural research perspective and as a sociocultural phenomenon, using the concepts and lenses of Michael Polanyi and Pierre Bourdieu.