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Techne Page

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Techne is an Aristotelian concept that entails the human’s innate capacity to reason, conceptualize and act. Essentially, it is the metacognition that facilitates both our self and environmental awareness, and it informs our action based on this awareness. Because it is the foundation of our rational existence, all of human creation and conception is predicated on the techne; it is the meta-machine. Without the techne, innovative creation and rational conceptualization would be impossible, deeming the techne both the foundation of machines, and a machine in itself. Beyond it’s machinic influence, techne is pervasive and fundamental in all facets of human existence. From sociality to introspection, innovation to understanding and action to thought, techne is the underlying driving force. Its influence is apparent in the physical creation of the Xbox and the virtual reality it provides as well as the social climate of Second Life.
The sociality and techne of Xbox’s target consumers influences both its physical form and the simulated worlds it provides through complex machinic interplay between the corporate and social machines. This machinic interaction is fueled by techne. At the outset, Microsoft had a clear consumer base in mind: “big guys – hard-core subjects” (Dyer-Witheford 81). The corporate machine acted according to the influence of the social machine of those that it aimed to accommodate; seeking to appeal to the hardcore gamer demographic, a community comprised primarily of North American men, Microsoft created big, hulking controllers and a bulky console designed to attract the aforementioned consumer. This illustrates the impact of sociality and the role of techne on the physical portal to the simulated world, but this social influence transcends the confines of physical manifestation and affects the simulated virtual reality as well. The most prevalent and popular form of Xbox simulation is Halo, a fast-paced combat game featuring a valiant cyborg-soldier male protagonist named Master Chief, who is faced with the task of fighting off the Covenant, a malicious alien adversary (82). This objective-based simulated space, though not a fully immersive social simulation, subjects the player to self-fragmentation while also redefining the social. To read more about the fragmentation that Halo engenders, read my page on fragmentation; continue reading to explore the role of techne and sociality within the virtual reality of Halo.
Due to the previously delineated corporate-social machinic interaction, the inhabitants of this simulated reality are primarily male. This greatly alters the social climate of this simulated space, namely causing it to be more “stereotypical and rigid than in real life” (83). Aggression, misogyny and humiliating domination of the opponent becomes the social norm of this male-dominated simulation throughout player-versus-player online interaction. The demographic of this simulated space alters the social practices, illustrating the impact that simulation has on the social. This social climate is established by its users’ techne, and the specific demographic of users themselves is a product of the corporate machine’s techne anticipating that of its intended consumer. Techne plays a similar role in Second Life, shaping the social climate of that simulated space (Zach).
The structure of Second Life is such that techne is an integral aspect driving all action and interaction. As a result, as player immersion into this simulated space increases, so to does the level of fragmentation. In Second Life, users create an avatar to represent themselves in this simulated space. The immersive nature of this simulated social landscaped relies on cybernetic interconnectedness and is greatly influenced by the virtual community members’ respective techne. It is apparent that the immersive simulation in second life alters the social when examining the role of techne and building. In Second Life, users can apply their techne to create homes, clothing, objects and scenery. The highly immersive simulation alters the social by infusing the virtual with characteristics of the real, causing the virtual to become necessary to experience real emotions. One Second Life resident was recovering from an injury in the real world, and described the solace that his virtual home provides: “I built this place to relax. It’s my place, it’s mine” (101). This user relies on this virtual space to experience real-life relaxation, illustrating the influence of the simulated on the social, and the impact techne has in fostering this simulated-social machinic interaction.

Anna discusses the role of techne in influencing the atrocious behavior of prison guards in Abu Ghraib here.

This page has tags:

  1. Second Life Chloe Lewis
  2. Virtual Worlds of Video Games: Second Life and Year-Long Fantasy Football Matt Oshrine
  3. Race and Gender in Video Games Shreyas Kolavennu
  4. Nick Dyer-Witheford Esther Liu
  5. Kevin Mellin Kevin Mellin
  6. Second Life Anna Quinn

Contents of this tag:

  1. Transformation of Social Relations Through Virtual Play
  2. What Is Self?
  3. Abu Ghraib