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Techne

In Ancient Greek philosophy, techne (Greek: τέχνη, romanizedtékhnē, lit.'art, skill, craft'; Ancient Greek: [tékʰnɛː], Modern Greek: [ˈtexni]) is a philosophical concept that refers to making or doing.[1] Today, while the Ancient Greek definition of techne is similar to the modern definition and use of "practical knowledge",[2] techne can include various fields such as mathematics, geometry,[3][4] medicine, shoemaking, rhetoric, philosophy, music, and astronomy.[4]

For other uses, see Techne (disambiguation).

One of the definitions of techne led by Aristotle, for example, is "a state involving true reason concerned with production".[5]

Ancient Greek Philosophers[edit]

Socrates[edit]

The Ancient Greek philosopher Xenophon wrote down conversations he had with Socrates in the Socratic works Memorabilia and Oeconomicus.[6] In both of these works, Socrates uses episteme and techne interchangeably.[6] Crafts that Socrates classifies as techne include harp playing, flute playing, dancing, wrestling, medicine, carpentry, ruling, generalship, housebuilding, running a household, farming, and mathematics.[6][9]

Angier, Tom (2010-12-02). Techne in Aristotle's Ethics: Crafting the Moral Life. Bloomsbury Publishing.  9781441134714.

ISBN

Dunne, Joseph. 1997. Back to the Rough Ground: 'Phronesis' and 'Techne' in Modern Philosophy and in Aristotle. Notre Dame, IN: . ISBN 978-0268006891.

University of Notre Dame Press