We know more than we can tell
The article explores the concept of tacit knowledge—knowledge we possess but cannot fully articulate—drawing on Michael Polanyi's idea that "we know more than we can tell." It discusses how tacit knowledge is acquired through practice, imitation, and experience rather than explicit instruction, and why recognizing it matters for learning, expertise, and innovation.
Background
- The article is built on Michael Polanyi's concept of "tacit knowledge"—things we know how to do but can't fully explain (riding a bike, recognizing a face, mastering a craft). Polanyi coined the phrase "we know more than we can tell."
- Tacit knowledge sits in contrast to "explicit knowledge" (written rules, formulas, manuals). The key insight: you can't transmit real expertise just by writing down steps.
- The essay explores why this matters for modern tech and work: if AI learns only from explicit data, it may miss the embodied, intuitive know-how that humans pick up through practice and apprenticeship.
- Polanyi was a Hungarian-British chemist-turned-philosopher; his ideas have been influential in fields from education to organizational management to AI research.