From TES (Techne, Episteme, Sophia) to STEAM: A Note

Authors

Gregory T Papanikos
University of Tennessee, Knoxville, USAUniversity of Tennessee, Knoxville, USA

Synopsis

This paper argues that contemporary STEAM education (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics), while widely studied in pedagogical and policy terms, lacks a deeper epistemic foundation. It proposes the ancient Greek framework of Techne, Episteme, and Sophia (TES), drawn from Plato and Aristotle, as a philosophical structure for understanding STEAM. The author reconstructs TES as a dual-axis model: a vertical axis of cognitive depth (from practical skill, to theoretical knowledge, to reflective wisdom) intersecting with the horizontal axis of STEAM disciplines. This model suggests that all STEAM fields operate simultaneously across all three levels, yet mod-ern education tends to prioritize techne and episteme while neglecting sophia—wisdom concerning the good of the whole. Through examples in medicine, architecture, and artificial intelligence, the paper shows how TES helps address ethical and governance questions that purely technical frameworks cannot resolve. It also revisits educational ideas in Plato and Aristotle to compare approaches to curriculum and formation. The paper concludes that TES is a useful analytical tool for rethinking education’s purpose and structure, and proposes extending it to a four-part framework – Techne, Episteme, Phronēsis, and Sophia (TEPS) – as a direction for future research.

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Volume

Socratic Lectures 14th International Symposium, Ljubljana, April 17, 2026 Part IV– Interdisciplinary Science: Part IV– Interdisciplinary Science

Pages

68-71

Published

August 5, 2026

Categories

Copyright (c) 2026 Veronika Rihter, Andrej Race, Venkata Subba Rao Jampani, Marko Novinec, Ivan Jerman, Rezki Derni; Nadjib M. Rahmoun; Abdellah Mertoumi, Polona Hrovat, Sabina Knez, Jan Dolinar, Ana Obaha, Valentina Ćurić, Nina Šubelj, Raja Gošnak Dahmane, Jelena Danilović Luković; Anna Romolo (urednik zbornika); Matej Hočevar, Darja Feizpour, Barbara Šetina Batič, Tina Sever, Isidora Santrač, Marija Tanović, Maša Kramer, Ela Nusdofer, Tine Oblak, Maja Ponikvar-Svet, Jaša Petek, Tai Klampfer, Said Bešlagić, Ajda Ravnihar, Katarina Jugovic, Karin Kunstelj, Patricija Lap, Eva Merklin, Anej Kramer, Tara Sember, Raja Gošnak Dahmane, Eva Juvančič, Natalija Kodrnja, Tjaša Šuc, Kaja Tomasino, Miona Kovachevikj, Taja Jeseničnik, Jernej Jakše, Luka Irenej Pečan, Ines Malek; Veronika Kralj-Iglič (urednik zbornika); Monika Jenko, Maja Ovsenik, Mojca Debeljak, Matevž Arko, Boštjan Korenjak, Aleš Iglič, Petra Bezeljak Cerv, Anita Prelovšek, Gregory T Papanikos, Daniela Brogna, Jasna Majstorović, Sergio Sánchez Bruni; Yelena Istileulova (urednik zbornika); Neda Bošković, Almedina Kavčič, Maja Kitek, Maja Satošek, Laureano Schofs, Luka Irenej Pečan, Gašper Tavčar, Hatice Kırmacı, Arzu Çalik Seydim, Andreja Abina, Aleksander Zidanšek, Marko Jeran, Eva Bevc, Lia Cuogo, Tiana Janković, Anja Boc, Maruša Blaško, Jasna Kastivnik, Vita Zbačnik, Esra Tuğçe Bal, Duygu Güney, Boris Cizelj, Wayan Kun Adnyana, Nicoletta Huștiuc, Elena Bliznyuk, Irina Pozdorovkina, Lidiia Rezvukhina, Anna Zuykova, Žiga Babnik, Sara Kavazović

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How to Cite

Papanikos, G. T. (2026). From TES (Techne, Episteme, Sophia) to STEAM: A Note. In A. Romolo, V. Kralj-Iglič, & Y. Istileulova (Eds.), & N. M. Rahmoun, Socratic Lectures 14th International Symposium, Ljubljana, April 17, 2026 Part IV– Interdisciplinary Science: Part IV– Interdisciplinary Science (pp. 68-71). University of Ljubljana Press. https://ebooks.uni-lj.si/ZalozbaUL/catalog/book/946/chapter/4883