Techne

Techne, AltGr. τέχνη ( téchne ), is an ancient Greek term that until today for the understanding of art, science and technology is significant in European-influenced philosophy.

Importance of history

Depending on the context of meaning and philosophical tradition, the term occurs in different Latinized spellings: Texnh, téchne, 'technê', Techne, techne and techne. His extensive and rich meaning evolved through centuries of Greek philosophy of the ancient world. The changes, extensions and manifestations of his sense of content have been promoted and influenced by ancient Roman acquisitions and new interpretations to the Christian era, partly by tradition to the Middle Ages, and by influences from other cultural traditions.

Homer and the pre-Socratics

The origin of the concept of techne in the pre-Socratics is from the Iliad ( recorded approximately between the 13th/12th. , And 7th centuries BC) reconstructed. There Techne meant the skill of the craftsmen who were designated by the name tekton (see Löbl " Texnh: study of the meaning of this word in the time of Homer to Aristotle " S. 11:1).

Even in the early days of Greek techne was no longer bound to the craft activity and not to the manufacturing and production, but was method and method for each type of activity. "As this practical knowledge it allows forward planning calculation and purposeful action: where Techne doing determines there is a τέλος, a goal that had on the back, something that moves, a work or deed, to be realized. This is a means of Techne -planned achievement of a goal. "

At the today known distinction between applied and fine arts, possibly between basic research and applied research, recalls the importance of techne in crafts, trades, professions and offices, which were distinguished by their character in Greek society: the techne of socially low -standing, so-called " philistine " commercial as undertaker, bankers, ointment manufacturers, Koch and Smith had a different status than the techne of the so-called "higher", or, as they were called later, "free" arts practiced by musicians, poets and scientists, but by rhetorically trained orators of medical doctors and formed of actors with a mastery of stagecraft.

Sophists

The sophistical scholars among the pre-Socratics, beginning with Protagoras ( 485-415 BC) focused their attention in particular to the education of their students in rhetoric, Greek ῥητορική [ τέχνη ], rhetorike ( Techne ). At this time, based on the art of speech, the first steps of developing a generally applicable methodology visible as knowledge structured and can be passed convincingly (see rhetoric at sophists ). Until our time, the traditional skills of the craftsmen regarded as craftsmanship while in the art of speech, as an example of trained skill, a more " higher meaning " is assumed.

Socrates and Plato

Another transformation connects to the modern shape of the term in the sense of science: " The tendency to understand all human knowledge as 'technê' has emerged in the fifth century with the rise of Athens and is the time of Socrates ( 469-399 BC ) in full force. " the resulting bit later conception of Plato ( 428/427-348/347 BC) opens up from his dialogue Gorgias. " After Plato Technemodell any techne is based on knowledge, episteme: on a knowledge of the object with which it has to do this techne, and on the knowledge of the objectives and purposes of which is to reach them. The Platonic techne is to its subject in an intentional and teleological relationship: it is oriented for something or for someone for something. The goal is by the power of techne, the ergon is to be achieved ultimately always the best for the object of techne. " Plato's emphasis on knowledge, in the sense of episteme ' as a basis for techne, shows that he is" the wanted to see established foundation of the doctrine no longer a mere craftsmanship, but in science. "

Aristotle

Aristotle ( 384-322 BC ) introduced differentiations that although techne in the direction of the developed in the modern era distinction between technology and science develop the concept, but not make it directly comparable with our present understanding of " technology". Aristotle assigns the techne poietic part of human activities or sciences. "Unlike Plato and the previous philosophers, for the techne and episteme, the terms were largely interchangeable, can be found in his sections, in which sharply differentiated between techne and episteme (...). ".

Aristotle distinguishes as clearly theorists and practitioners. " All art is a system of fixed rules that must be applied to the individual case. It has two sides: . Theoretical of based on the recognition of the causes, regulated process ( μέθοδος, methodos ) and the practical, application-oriented a corresponding competence or ability ( δύναμς, dynamis) which has, which brings forth the work of art " " methodology only guarantees a conception of art, which also indicates the reasons and causes of action, such as those in the doctrine of affections of Aristotle's " Rhetoric " present. " Without methodology remains only to work " haphazardly ". " It Aristotle sees the difference between his τέχνη, téchne and the Sophists ."

Today's meaning

Formed from the everyday understanding of the term technology to draw conclusions about the importance of word techne are wrong. The original concept does not distinguish the present categories of art and technology. The ancient Greek meaning is now generally understood only approximately (see technology) described as ability, artistry, craftsmanship, in modern philosophy as a ' theory of art ' ( in the tradition of the sophist Protagoras ).

Since mediated by technical media science, art and technology flows together digitized, because everything depending Illustrated and Written transformed into binary code that can be set and stored in relationship, finds the term techne, extended in this sense, again contemporary forms of philosophical discourse. An example: " it is to one, to understand media machineries as reflections of needs, drives and fantasies of a humanity which operates, not least in the form of techne practical anthropology, on the other hand is to ask how these media techné the condition of the people changed, varied and modified, which is not simply turns static between man and the world, but by the latter only in the form familiar to us today constituted, also puts those moments of directorial imagination and into view. "