Sunday, December 6, 2015

Techne, Phronesis, Socialism

Concrete experience is continuous.  For example, picking up a hammer and hitting a nail into a piece of wood, or picking up a hammer and striking someone with it.  It is thus only by a subsequent abstraction from these two courses of action that a single Means--wielding a hammer--is isolated from a choice of two possible Ends, i. e. either a carpentry project, or injuring someone.  Likewise, Aristotle's distinction between Techne--skill--and Phronesis--wisdom in choice of Goods--thus presupposes such an abstraction.  Accordingly, Dewey's diagnosis of Class prejudice as determining the segregation of Means from End, e. g.  productive labor from the enjoyment of its fruits by someone else, implies that under Socialism, i. e. the abolition of Classes, Aristotle's distiction between Techne and Phronesis would also be dissolved.

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