Tacit Knowledge and Engineering Design

Abstract

Understanding what tacit knowledge is, and particularly how the concept is used, is important for philosophers of technology because it is now a central concept in policy discussions related to engineering. It is used to explain why knowledge production is localized, cumulative and path-dependent, and therefore why designers, design teams, firms and regions differ in their technological performance. Given the impact of public policy related to the “knowledge economy,” there is a legitimate role for philosophers of technology to investigate the foundations of these ideas in more detail. This is particularly important because the terminology of tacit knowledge is applied very widely, but is rarely explicitly explained. Just what tacit knowledge is, and how it is valuable during the development of technology, is often itself a “tacit” concept. This chapter defines engineering as the art of organizing and negotiating the design, production, operation and decommissioning of artefacts, devices, systems and processes that fulfill useful functions by transforming the world to solve recognized problems. This hopefully highlights the practical, creative nature of engineering, with a clear connection to judgments and choices about solutions that achieve a balance between potentially conflicting outcomes in terms of their aesthetic, economic, environmental, technical and other criteria.