Social Sciences in China (Chinese Edition)

No.7, 2018

The Predicament of Contemporary Anglo-American Epistemology and Its Way Out—Based on the Dimension of Tacit Knowledge

(Abstract)

Yu Zhenhua

The concept of tacit knowledge has rich theoretical implications involving the multiple conceptual relationships of human knowledge and challenging many deeply rooted dogmas or prejudices in the Western philosophical tradition, providing a new perspective for examination of the issue of human knowledge. Three influential approaches in Britain and America in recent years have revolved around tacit knowledge and related issues: the sociology of scientific knowledge, analytical epistemology and the philosophy of social sciences. These highlight the distinction between internal and external perspectives, between individual and collective orientations, and between strong and weak tacit knowledge. Expanding epistemological research proposes adopting an intrinsic perspective, identifying individual orientations, and adhering to Wittgenstein’s distinction between strong and weak tacit knowledge, and argues that personal knowledge and “know-how” are the two basic forms of strong tacit knowledge. This standpoint not only highlights the shortcomings of British and American epistemology with its obstinate adherence to propositional knowledge, but also lays the foundation for building a solid epistemology.