“Πασαί Τέχναι βροτοίσιν εκ Προμηθέως”: Prometheus and Epimetheus: Fields of Foresight and Hindsight in Worldmaking
Symposium:
Session Title:
- The Volatility and Stability of WorldMaking as Techné
Presentation Title:
- “Πασαί Τέχναι βροτοίσιν εκ Προμηθέως”: Prometheus and Epimetheus: Fields of Foresight and Hindsight in Worldmaking
Presenter(s):
Venue(s):
Abstract:
Panel: The Volatility and Stability of WorldMaking as Techné
The concept of Techné has been intertwined with worldmaking from antiquity to the present. The nature of this relationship has not been constant, however. Running through from Orpheus, Hesiod, Aeschylus, Aristotle, and Zeno the Stoic, among others, these concepts were persistent elements of a complex but highly coherent worldview. Within this outlook, techné signified not only the techniques of making, but, more importantly, the significance of making. This was understood as something directed, as a vector, not as just a point. Moreover, this vector of making was itself embedded in a field of values that constituted the very meaning of “civilization.” Contemporary approaches to techné, be they philosophical or practical, omit much of this directedness and embeddedness, too often resulting in technique void of meaning, the creation of works that are mutually canceling, and a contribution to the making of a world and worlds that are more broken than whole. This paper will discuss how the ancient insights are relevant – and indeed imperative – to our predicament with respect to contemporary worldmaking, both as art and as life.
