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From riding a bicycle to playing the piano: How does tacit knowledge affect our daily lives?
In our daily lives, there is a lot of knowledge that is difficult to express in words or describe in writing. This is what we call "tacit knowledge" or "implicit knowledge." This knowledge often involves expertise, personal experience, or intuition, and plays an important role in our learning and habits. This article will explore the impact of tacit knowledge in our lives, from the simplest riding a bicycle to the complex piano playing.
Tacit knowledge is an innate part of each of us that resides in our bodies and in our intuition and is difficult for others to communicate or understand.
Definition and Examples of Tacit Knowledge
Tacit knowledge can be defined as hidden abilities that cannot be easily expressed or communicated. This includes many skills in our daily lives, such as riding a bicycle, driving a car, playing a musical instrument, etc. These skills may seem simple, but in fact their learning process is complex, and the development of skills requires long-term observation, practice and repeated practice.
Take riding a bicycle as an example. On the surface, we think it is an easy skill, but when we think back to the first day we learned to ride, we realize how difficult it is to maintain balance and control. However, after riding many times, it all becomes a natural instinct, and even if we don’t ride it for many times, we can still recall it quickly. This is the characteristic of tacit knowledge. It is deeply hidden in our cognitive system and gradually strengthened with the accumulation of time and experience.
Some knowledge can only be truly realized through practice, and the acquisition of this knowledge often does not rely on language.
Tacit knowledge and daily life
Tacit knowledge is ubiquitous in our daily lives. Whether it's transforming piano notes into a musical melody or baking a delicious loaf of bread, these activities require a subtle and difficult-to-describe ability. Take playing the piano as an example. Pianists need to feel the rhythm, flow and emotion of the music through constant practice, which is a level of knowledge that cannot be covered in words.
For example, the ability of top pianists to accurately respond to the underlying emotions and inflections of the music with their fingers as they play is often tacit knowledge that they have accumulated over many years. For beginners, this kind of musical perception is difficult to describe, and many times they need countless imitations and practices to gradually master it.
Tacit knowledge enables us to apply skills naturally in open-ended situations without thinking, which provides important support for creativity and problem-solving processes.
How to acquire tacit knowledge
Acquiring tacit knowledge usually requires personal experience and a learning environment. Whether through mentoring relationships, community interaction, or repeated practice, all of these promote the internalization of knowledge. For example, when learning to cook, beginners not only follow the recipe, they also feel the changes in the ingredients in their minds and learn how to respond to the needs of different situations. This is the application of tacit knowledge.
In social interaction, the exchange of tacit knowledge is even more important. Through collaboration and trust, team members build a shared knowledge base that cannot be achieved in an isolated environment. Through this social network, the tacit knowledge we possess can be strengthened and expanded, consensus can be formed, and problems can be solved creatively.
ConclusionThe learning process is often nonlinear; tacit knowledge allows us to adapt in life and grow our cognition through diverse experiences.
Tacit knowledge is like an invisible force that governs many of our behaviors in daily life. Whether it is through the experience of riding a bicycle or the intuition of playing the piano, this knowledge invisibly improves the quality and efficiency of our lives. In the future society, how to better tap and utilize this inexpressible tacit knowledge will directly affect our ability to cooperate and innovate. So, how do you see the role of tacit knowledge in your life?
