In search of technē
For a sustainable world, we need everybody to play to their strengths. And that's going to need some changes to be made.
The ancient Greeks had a word for it: technē (τέχνη).
Although its contribution to today’s English language is clear, there is no single equivalent in English to technē, in and of itself. Fully defining the word even exercised the ancient Greeks themselves. Loosely translated as craft or art, it’s much more than that. Technē encompasses the concept of skilled, purposeful, and knowledge-based craftsmanship or art. It refers to the practical application of knowledge in creating or producing something, with a focus on achieving a specific end or result. Technē involves both the understanding of principles and the ability to implement them effectively through practice and expertise. It applies just as equally to plumbers and the artisanal trades as it does to doctors, lawyers and all the other ‘professions’.
Image: AI generated
In The Republic, technē is central to Plato’s vision of an ideal society. Though his narrator, Socrates, Plato emphasises the importance of the division of labour based on natural aptitudes and skills. He argues that individuals should specialise in tasks that align with their natural abilities. This specialisation ensures efficiency and excellence in the performance of various societal roles. Socrates explains that a society functions best when each person performs the role for which they are naturally suited.
Socrates: ‘…as you [Adeimantus] were speaking, it occurred to me that, in the first place, no two of us are born exactly alike. We have different natural aptitudes, which fit us for different jobs’.
Adeimantus: ‘We have indeed’.
Socrates: ‘So do we do better to exercise one skill or to try to practise several?’
Adeimantus: ‘To stick to one’.
The Republic, II, 370 a
Overall, in The Republic, technē is integral to the functioning of the ideal state, with each individual contributing according to their natural abilities and training, leading to a harmonious and efficient society.
We see an echo of this in the US Occupational Information Network (O*NET), which allocates scores to the required attributes for around 1,000 occupations. These attributes include knowledge elements like mathematics, and skills like complex problem solving, of course. But they also include abilities, grouped into cognitive, psychomotor, physical and sensory; and occupational interests, categorised as realistic, investigative, artistic, social, enterprising and conventional. Perhaps Plato would have recognised the significance. Ricky Gervais has an angle on it too, related to dogs (warning – don’t click on this link if you’re easily offended).
Plato’s student Aristotle continues the riffing on technē across several of his works. In the Nicomachean Ethics, for example, he describes technē as a capacity to make, involving a true course of reasoning concerned with coming into being and striving for a result that is distinct from the act of making itself. For Aristotle, technē is one of the intellectual virtues and he contrasts it (in Book VI 1139a-1141b) with epistēmē (ἐπιστήμη - scientific knowledge), phronēsis (φρόνησις - practical wisdom), sophia (σοφία - philosophic wisdom), and nous (νοῦς - intuitive understanding).
Good action and its opposite cannot exist without a combination of intellect and character. Intellect itself, however, moves nothing, but only the intellect which aims at an end and is practical. This rules the productive intellect as well, since everyone who makes, makes for an end, and that which is made is not an end in the unqualified sense.
The Nicomachean Ethics, VI, 1139b
For the ancients, education was crucial in building the particular mix of intellectual virtues needed for each individual's role in society. Plato outlines a rigorous education system designed to identify and cultivate the natural abilities of individuals from an early age. This education is not only intellectual but also physical and moral, aiming to produce well-rounded individuals who can contribute effectively to the community.
Is that happening today? We – and others – think not: in our latest reports roundup we reference a publication from EDSK that argues:
The dominance of universities in the post-18 education system is inescapable. Even so, despite the endless newspaper headlines about the financial challenges facing universities, this report argues that the Government would be much better off using its resources to build an integrated Higher Education, Further Education and apprenticeship system so that learners of all ages and at all levels can find the right pathway for them.
Source: Augar Reviewed: Why post-18 education in England is still broken, and how to fix it
Why is this important? For a sustainable planet, we would argue that the concept of technē is crucial, encompassing the practical skills and knowledge necessary for creating and maintaining sustainable systems.
The technē of engineers and scientists translates to developing innovative technologies and methods that use resources more efficiently and reduce waste.
In architecture and urban planning, technē is essential for designing buildings and communities that minimise environmental impact. This includes the use of sustainable materials, energy-efficient systems, and designs that reduce the need for excessive heating, cooling, and lighting.
Sustainable agriculture relies on technē to implement practices that preserve soil health, reduce chemical inputs, and enhance biodiversity. Techniques such as crop rotation, organic farming, and permaculture are all based on practical skills combined with a deep understanding of ecological principles.
Effective management of natural resources, such as water, forests, and fisheries, requires technē to balance human needs with ecological health. This includes skills in monitoring ecosystems, assessing environmental impacts, and implementing conservation strategies.
The circular economy model depends on technē to create products designed for longevity, reuse, and recycling. It involves skills in product design, materials science, and systems thinking to ensure that products can be disassembled and repurposed, minimising waste.
Technē is crucial in environmental restoration efforts, such as reforestation, wetland restoration, and pollution remediation. These efforts require a deep understanding of ecological processes and the practical skills to restore degraded environments.
And, falling somewhere between the net zero cancellers and climate deniers, and the swivel-eyed blowing-in-the-winders, policymakers of all hues must use technē to understand the technical details of environmental challenges and the potential impacts of their interventions to create laws and guidelines that promote – rather than hinder – sustainability.
And our education and training systems must support all of this. Educating and training individuals in sustainable practices involves the transmission of technē. This ensures that knowledge about sustainable methods is passed on and that people are equipped with the skills needed to implement them effectively. Which means that the teachers must have this technē too.
As a footnote. The ultimate rulers of Plato's ideal society are philosopher-kings, individuals who possess the rare skill of philosophical wisdom. These rulers are chosen not through birthright but through a long process of education and testing that identifies those with the greatest natural ability to understand the Forms, especially the Form of the Good, and to apply this knowledge in governing justly. Perhaps there’s a case to be made that today’s ruling elites should come through this same process.