Three Modes of Knowledge as Basis for Intercultural Cognition and Communication: A Theoretical Perspective

Abstract

Human knowledge expresses itself in three different modes, i.e., as explicit, semantic or verbal knowledge, as implicit, tacit or intuitive knowledge, and as visual, pictorial or episodic knowledge. To refer to knowledge only as “explicit knowledge” would neglect the other modes of knowledge that are of equal importance for higher cognition. Unifying frames of the different modes of knowledge are the aesthetic principle on a formal level and the mimetic principle on the level of reference. 1