Monday, August 4, 2008

Hypermodernity and the Rule of Technology - Part I

What is technology?What do we refer to here as “technology,” ie: what is meant by technology?Technology – unsurprisingly – comes to us from the Greeks. Technikon means that which belongs to techne.Techne – from which comes technique and technical – can translate literally as “craft, skill, art, craftsmanship.” The skill and care a carpenter devotes to construction is a techne. When we look at a well-laid foundation or a fashioned cabinet or a finely-forged ship, we admire the skill of the builder. We admire the techne.For the Greeks, techne does not only refer to the activities and skills of the craftsman, but also for the arts of the mind and the fine arts. Techne is something poetic.

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