TECHNE AND

EPISTEME
LESSON OBJECTIVES

At the end of this lesson, you are expected to:

• Understand the sources of techne;
• Understand the relationship between techne, episteme, and physis; and
• Recognize the humanism behind the Greek understanding of techne.

Introduction
After having student Buddhist economics, we now go back to the Western understanding of
technology as a way of revealing. But what is this mode of revealing? How do we engage the world
uniquely with the use of techne? To understand this, we recourse to Greek sources in order to help us get a
glimpse of what this entails.
ABSTRACTION
Etymologically, the world techne comes from an Indo and European stem that was approximately pronounced
as tekp, and refers to “carpentry”. In ancient Greek, the stem appears in the word tekton which also refers to
the “master builder” and “carpenter”, which we read in the llliad and Odyssey. This tekton is carried in the
word “architect” and the concept of “tectonic”. But from tekton, we infer techne; this refers to the skill of a
carpenter and/or a master builder. In any way, it refers to the art or skill of every kind involving the process of
production. The word techne carries a two-fold meaning: on the one hand, it refers to “craftsmanship” and
“skill” of any kind, on the other hand, it also refers to the ability to create a machine.
From techne, we can draw technikon, which points to art of producing what is suited to the person’s art or skill,
When understanding the Latin technica ars ( the art of skilled production), the French technique, or the
German technik, we recognize the development of the concept to refer to all the actions and procedures
pertaining and relating to the skill involved in the production of everything. In fact, in contemporary German,
technik refers to something broader. It involves everything that constitutes the means and modes of
production that necessitates mastery in the highest sense in the practice of an art or skill.
In order to understand the central concept techne, let us go to Aristotle, who refined the understanding of
techne and placed it in relation to the other concepts involving action and production. While techne is first
understood as a particular kind of knowledge, Aristotle distinguishes it among other kinds of knowledge.
For him, techne refers to that knowledge and ability that is concerned with production and construction; in
short, it is in-between(mesotes) the two people of, on the one hand, mere know-how, emperiria, and, on
the other hand, theoretical knowledge or episteme. Techne is not theoretical knowledge or episteme
because episteme is about the immutable (for example, mathematics and philosophy), whereas techne is
about that type of knowledge that deals with the mutable or the process of becoming. In a way, techne
builds on emperiria or empirical experience. Although building on emperiria, techne is not experience;
experience, which is dependent on what is in memory(considering only the particular instances and their
connection) and techne, which flows from the particular cases to a more universal concept. Thus, the
physician where experience only knows that antibiotics is good to treat infection. But the physician, who
possesses techne, understand the components of the medicine that responds specially to this or that
infection. In this sense, experience can only provide the “that”, whereas techne provides the “why”(and for
that reason is closer to episteme). Habit, thereby, facilitates in attaining a certain level of knowledge and
skill, and we have identified this to be techne.
But there is another understanding of techne. This time, it refers to the process by which things come to be. This
involves the process of producing mutable realities. Again, like the first instance previously mentioned, we
recognize an intermediate position between the vital processes of nature, which is called physis, and the
contingent processes of Tyche(or chance and coincidence). Part of understanding technology is an element of
luck or playful consideration of elements in methodological technique. Despite the role of chance in techne,
nature directs its activity more. In the Greek understanding, chance and nature facilitates the agency of
something in which things are realized in this sense, the source of techne remains to be the thinking soul, who
initiates the production of goods and make possible the technical process.

When taking into consideration, therefore, techne and nature (physis), we are concertified with the actualization
in matter of form. The form that comes in the end is consequence of the application of thinking on matter. We
often hear architects speak of a blueprint for construction. This is how engineering techne proceeds to the end-
form; whether house, school, or what, it entails certain processes and steps from procurement, preparation,
mixture, and like. Involved in the techne are processes of evaluation, intervention, and construction. As is,
techne involves a more complicated process than mere generation (even if it imitates or is analogous to physis in
its natural processes). Because of the similarity between techne and physis, it must be said that techne is the
human ability to complete what is lacking in nature; or that techne perfects that which nature does not have.
This completion and perfection must, however, be understood in relation to human needs or even to concerns or
issues of utility; this variability is as variable as what humanity considers useful. As such, techne (based on arising
human needs) invents machines to serve human purposes and push human goals. A good example is the lever.
With it, we are able carry and more heavy matter with very little force. With human needs in view, we are able to
perfect nature.
Based on the two, instances we have presented so far, techne ( as it is understood by the early Greek) is a
way of relating. On the one hand, it is related to theoretical knowledge (episteme). On the other hand, is
related to the processes of nature (physis). Because of this very unique relationship with both episteme
and physis, techne is always already dependent and never against theoretical knowledge on the one hand
and this level of mastery of nature on the other. Again, it is worth noting that the relationship between
techne and episteme is reflected in their understanding of handicraft – operating on habit and skill – as an
integrated part of the science of techne.
Because of the weaving of technique with habit and skill, the Greeks look at techne as a very unique kind
of knowledge that is also tied to ones humanity. It is a type of humanism that Socrates, for example, in his
search for real knowledge is disappointed with the politicians and poets, but now with craftsmen
( Techniker, men of technique). For Socrates, only the craftsmen is able to demonstrate their technical
knowledge as absolute ( in relation to their craft ).
The Greeks were interested in humanity and our place in this world. It is this specific interest that leads to
their interest in production whether Homer speaks of Hephaestus forging the shield of Archilles, of
Odysseus building his ship, or Herodotus describing Greek victories. Or in Prometheus we read the
narrative about fire that led us out of primitive existence into civilization. Sophocles also gives testimony to
a perilous mongrelism as describe in the Antigone, where he speaks of the deinotes ( “terribleness”,
“monstrosity”) power which technique has placed into human hands techne.

In short, techne turned humanity as master of nature; but it has also set him/her in the part toward good
evil. This explains the problematic in and of technique which confronts us today. This demise lies at he
twofold relation between theoretical knowledge and the directing activity of nature. This leads us to
recognize the possibilities and the limitations of techne, and opens to us a perspective from which our
humanity becomes effective and efficient in the totality of things human through its correctly conceived
use.
THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!