====== Techne ======

In classical [[:philosophy|]], **technē** (τέχνη) refers to a form of practical knowledge an art, craft, or skill rooted in knowing how to bring something into being. Unlike abstract theoretical knowledge (//epistēmē//), which is concerned with eternal truths, //technē// is oriented toward creation and transformation. For the Greeks, a sculptor shaping marble or a physician guiding the body toward health both exercised //technē//: a knowing-how that combines rational principles with embodied practice. Plato often contrasted //technē// with mere habit or guesswork, while Aristotle saw it as a middle ground between theoretical science and raw experience, a disciplined craft that bridges thought and action.

This ancient notion resonates strongly with our contemporary idea of **[[:cs|technology]]** , a word whose very root (//techne// + //logos//) literally means “discourse on craft.” Technology is more than just tools; it embodies accumulated methods of knowing how to do things whether programming a computer, designing an algorithm, or engineering a machine. When we describe technology as applied science, we often overlook that it also inherits from //technē// an aesthetic and ethical dimension: it is about creating forms in the world, not just solving problems.

Seen through this lens, technology today can be understood not only as material devices but as an extension of //technē// the human capacity to shape reality through knowledge and skill. This framing highlights both its promise and its danger: the same practical mastery that can produce medicine and art can also yield systems of control or destruction. To recover the full meaning of //technē// is to remember that technology is always entwined with values, creativity, and the ways we imagine what it means to live well.