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

Claudia Mareis's article looks at how the concept of tacit knowledge, originally developed by philosopher Michael Polanyi, has become a widely used guiding idea in contemporary design research, where it is often invoked to describe the kind of knowledge involved in designing. The article positions its argument against other attempts to characterize this knowledge, such as Nigel Cross's 'designerly way of knowing', 'experiential knowledge' or 'situated cognition', and instead returns to Polanyi's own account of tacit knowledge as something shaped by moral, cultural and scientific authorities and realized within the social boundaries those authorities generate. On this basis, Mareis argues that tacit knowledge in design should be understood as constituted through social and discursive mechanisms rather than as a purely private or ineffable form of knowing. Published in Design Issues, 28(2), 61 to 71. Credits: Mareis, C. (2012). The Epistemology of the Unspoken: On the Concept of Tacit Knowledge in Contemporary Design Research. Design Issues, 28(2), 61–71. http://doi.org/10.1162/DESI_a_00143