Technology & Transformation

Helena Moradi looks at changing philosophical attitudes to technology.

- HELENA MORADI

The Greek word τέχνη, ‘techne’, which is usually translated as ‘art’, ‘craftsmanship’, ‘knowledge’, or ‘skill’, is generally used to designate the creation of something. In ancient philosophy, however, techne was not just perceived as an activity, but above all as a kind of knowledge. For Plato, who was the first to elaborate on this concept in writing, techne and episteme, art and knowledge, were closely related. Also for Aristotle, techne was a kind of knowledge that goes with a certain form of creative activity. According to him, the goal for the individual craftsman is to achieve as perfect an imitation of nature as possible – although he was well aware of the impossibility of creating exact copies. Techne in this classic sense – and this cannot be emphasized enough when comparing ancient and modern technology – is basically focused on individual work instead of on the streamlined production of many objects of the same kind in order to make a profit. Mass production would be inconceivable to the ancient craftsman, and not just for technical reasons.