Nothing is Concealed: De-centring Tacit Knowledge and Rules from Social Theory |
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Authors: | NIGEL PLEASANTS |
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Institution: | Hughes Hall Cambridge University, Cambridge CB1 2EW E-mail: |
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Abstract: | The concept of "tacit knowledge" as the means by which individuals interpret the "rules" of social interaction occupies a central role in all the major contemporary theories of action and social structure. The major reference point for social theorists is Wittgenstein's celebrated discussion of rule-following in the Philosophical Investigations. Focusing on Giddens' incorporation of tacit knowledge and rules into his "theory of structuration", I argue that Wittgenstein's later work is steadfastly set against the "latent cognitivism" inherent in the idea of tacit knowledge and tacit rules. I also argue that the idea of tacit knowledge and tacit rules is either incoherent or explanatorily vacuous. |
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