The problem raised in my last post, is the difference between formal and tacit knowledge. The power of formal knowledge is in its universality. It is true for all times and all places.
The trouble is nothing is true for all times and places. Reality has a habit of flipping real instances on their head. So, we may know how a machine should work but knowing why this particular machine isn't working, is an entirely different matter.
Human systems are similar. We may know a lot about human behaviour and psychology and yet we often find ourselves completely unable to read a real situation, particularly one involving us personally.
But the dispassionate observer is not guaranteed read a particular situation fully. There is always more to know. We encounter tacit or intuitive knowledge, where we see the patterns even if we have difficulty explaining what it is we see.
Tacit knowledge is found through observation and experience. Formal knowledge is no short cut to tacit knowledge and might be a barrier. Ultimately, we have tacit knowledge if we are able to perceive things in the round, as a whole.
This song has always amused me as it highlights this distinction:
Comments