"I shall suggest, on the contrary, that all communication relies, to a noticeable extent on evoking knowledge that we cannot tell, and that all our knowledge of mental processes, like feelings or conscious intellectual activities, is based on a knowledge which we cannot tell"
- Michael Polanyi
About this Quote
This quote by Michael Polanyi recommends that interaction is based upon knowledge that we can not reveal in words. He is suggesting that our understanding of mental procedures, such as sensations and conscious intellectual activities, is based upon a knowledge that is beyond language. This suggests that although we might have the ability to communicate our ideas and feelings to others, there is a deeper level of understanding that can not be revealed in words. Polanyi is recommending that communication depends on the capability to stimulate knowledge that is beyond language. This implies that interaction is not almost the words we use, however likewise about the understanding that we can not reveal. This quote highlights the importance of comprehending the deeper level of communication that exists beyond language.
"A lawyer without history or literature is a mechanic, a mere working mason; if he possesses some knowledge of these, he may venture to call himself an architect"