Experiential Knowledge

Experiential knowledge is knowledge gained through experience as opposed to a priori (before experience) knowledge. In the philosophy of mind, the phrase often refers to knowledge that can only be acquired through experience, such as, for example, the knowledge of what it is like to see colours, which could not be explained to someone born blind. See also qualia. A priori knowledge is can Adam or Eve know what water feels like on their skin prior to touching it for the first time?

The phrase also crops up in philosophy of religion, as an argument against God's omniscience - here it is questioned whether God could genuinely know everything, since he (supposedly) cannot know what it is like to sin.

Writer Barry Lopez writes about experiential knowledge and how it relates back to the environment. He explains that without experiencing nature, one cannot fully "know" and understand the relationships within ecosystems. One can exploit the problems with non-experiential based knowledge and make someone understand the necessity of experiential knowledge by asking them to explain a color (like blue). This is a perfect example of the flaws of interpersonal communication because of our inability to allow a blind man to feel the essence of colors.

As defined by Dr. Thomasina Borkman (Emeritus Professor of Sociology, George Mason University) experiential knowledge is the cornerstone of therapy in self-help groups. Sharing in such groups is the narration of significant life experiences in a process through which the knowledge derived thereof is validated by the group and transformed into a corpus that becomes their fundamental resource and product.