The 12 Axes of the Epistemology Spectrum

An ultra-fine-grained model adding dimensions of access and structure. Building on the 8 Axes, we add: Axis 9: Direct-Indirect (knowledge through direct acquaintance vs. knowledge through description/inference). Axis 10: Explicit-Tacit (knowledge you can state vs. knowledge you can't articulate). Axis 11: Propositional-Procedural (knowing that vs. knowing how). Axis 12: Personal-Impersonal (knowledge that requires personal experience vs. knowledge available to anyone). These twelve axes generate 4096 epistemological positions. Knowing a person involves direct, tacit (partly), procedural (how to be with them), personal knowledge. Knowing physics involves indirect, explicit, propositional, impersonal knowledge. The 12 Axes reveal that epistemology must account for the full range of human knowing—not just the kind that fits in journal articles.

The 12 Axes of the Epistemology Spectrum "You think all knowledge can be written down. The 12 Axes show otherwise: tacit knowledge (how to ride a bike) can't be captured in propositions. Procedural knowledge (knowing how) is different from propositional (knowing that). Personal knowledge (knowing a friend) requires experience you can't transfer. Your narrow epistemology doesn't describe knowledge—it describes one kind of knowledge, and it's not even the most important kind."

The 12 Axes of the Epistemology Spectrum by Dumu The Void February 25, 2026