Homo faber
Encyclopedia
Homo faber is a philosophical concept articulated by Hannah Arendt
and Max Scheler
that refers to human
s as controlling the environment through tool
s. Henri Bergson
also referred to the concept in The Creative Evolution (1907), defining intelligence
, in its original sense, as the "faculty to create artificial objects, in particular tools to make tools, and to indefinitely variate its makings."
In Latin literature, Appius Claudius Caecus
uses this term in his Sententiæ, referring to the ability of man to control his destiny and what surrounds him: Homo faber suae quisque fortunae (Every man is the artifex of his destiny).
In anthropology
, Homo faber, as the "working man", is confronted with Homo ludens
, the "playing man", who is concerned with amusements, humor, and leisure.
Homo faber can be also used in opposition or juxtaposition to deus faber
("God the Creator"), an archetype of which are the various gods of the forge
.
Homo Faber
is the title of an influential novel by the Swiss author Max Frisch
, published in 1957. The book was made into the film Voyager, starring Sam Shepard
and Julie Delpy
.
Homo Faber was one of the five IBMYP
areas of interaction, before it was replaced with "Human Ingenuity".
"Homo Faber" is also the title of a short poem by Frank Bidart
that is included in his collection Desire (1997).
Hannah Arendt
Hannah Arendt was a German American political theorist. She has often been described as a philosopher, although she refused that label on the grounds that philosophy is concerned with "man in the singular." She described herself instead as a political theorist because her work centers on the fact...
and Max Scheler
Max Scheler
Max Scheler was a German philosopher known for his work in phenomenology, ethics, and philosophical anthropology...
that refers to human
Human
Humans are the only living species in the Homo genus...
s as controlling the environment through tool
Tool
A tool is a device that can be used to produce an item or achieve a task, but that is not consumed in the process. Informally the word is also used to describe a procedure or process with a specific purpose. Tools that are used in particular fields or activities may have different designations such...
s. Henri Bergson
Henri Bergson
Henri-Louis Bergson was a major French philosopher, influential especially in the first half of the 20th century. Bergson convinced many thinkers that immediate experience and intuition are more significant than rationalism and science for understanding reality.He was awarded the 1927 Nobel Prize...
also referred to the concept in The Creative Evolution (1907), defining intelligence
Intelligence
Intelligence has been defined in different ways, including the abilities for abstract thought, understanding, communication, reasoning, learning, planning, emotional intelligence and problem solving....
, in its original sense, as the "faculty to create artificial objects, in particular tools to make tools, and to indefinitely variate its makings."
In Latin literature, Appius Claudius Caecus
Appius Claudius Caecus
Appius Claudius Caecus was a Roman politician from a wealthy patrician family. He was dictator himself and the son of Gaius Claudius Crassus, dictator in 337 BC.-Life:...
uses this term in his Sententiæ, referring to the ability of man to control his destiny and what surrounds him: Homo faber suae quisque fortunae (Every man is the artifex of his destiny).
In anthropology
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
, Homo faber, as the "working man", is confronted with Homo ludens
Homo Ludens
Homo Ludens or "Man the Player" is a book written in 1938 by Dutch historian, cultural theorist and professor Johan Huizinga.It discusses the importance of the play element of culture and society....
, the "playing man", who is concerned with amusements, humor, and leisure.
Homo faber can be also used in opposition or juxtaposition to deus faber
Demiurge
The demiurge is a concept from the Platonic, Neopythagorean, Middle Platonic, and Neoplatonic schools of philosophy for an artisan-like figure responsible for the fashioning and maintenance of the physical universe. The term was subsequently adopted by the Gnostics...
("God the Creator"), an archetype of which are the various gods of the forge
Vulcan (mythology)
Vulcan , aka Mulciber, is the god of beneficial and hindering fire, including the fire of volcanoes in ancient Roman religion and Roman Neopaganism. Vulcan is usually depicted with a thunderbolt. He is known as Sethlans in Etruscan mythology...
.
Homo Faber
Homo Faber (novel)
Homo Faber is a novel by Max Frisch, first published in Germany in 1957. The first English edition was published in England in 1959. The novel is written as a first-person narrative. The protagonist, Walter Faber, is a successful engineer traveling throughout Europe and the Americas on behalf of...
is the title of an influential novel by the Swiss author Max Frisch
Max Frisch
Max Rudolf Frisch was a Swiss playwright and novelist, regarded as highly representative of German-language literature after World War II. In his creative works Frisch paid particular attention to issues relating to problems of human identity, individuality, responsibility, morality and political...
, published in 1957. The book was made into the film Voyager, starring Sam Shepard
Sam Shepard
Sam Shepard is an American playwright, actor, and television and film director. He is the author of several books of short stories, essays, and memoirs, and received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1979 for his play Buried Child...
and Julie Delpy
Julie Delpy
Julie Delpy is a French-American actress, director, screenwriter, and singer-songwriter. She studied filmmaking at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts and has directed, written, and acted in more than 30 films, including Europa Europa , The Voyager , Three Colors: White , Before Sunrise...
.
Homo Faber was one of the five IBMYP
IB Middle Years Programme
The International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme is an educational programme intended for students aged approximately 11 to 16 . Thus, in the United States the programme is often taught throughout the middle school years and the first two years of high school...
areas of interaction, before it was replaced with "Human Ingenuity".
"Homo Faber" is also the title of a short poem by Frank Bidart
Frank Bidart
Frank Bidart is an American academic and poet.-Biography:In 1957, he began to study at the University of California at Riverside and went on to Harvard, where he was a student and friend of Robert Lowell and Elizabeth Bishop...
that is included in his collection Desire (1997).