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ToÌýHomo FaberÌý(man as maker), theÌýPromethean revolt against nature is an act of mastership.

Guided by the ideals of utility and beauty,Ìýthe world ofÌýmakingÌýis always rooted in the transformation of means into ends.ÌýHuman life is fragile; the objects we create give us durability. They reifyÌýwhat wouldÌýotherwise be lost with every generation. They condition ourÌýexistence. Like the table that both separates and unites, our experience ofÌýothers is rooted in an in-between world of shared things. However, because weÌýareÌýnever fully conditioned beings — that is, we are never fully for or againstÌýothers — the world of things never entirely constitutes an end in itself.ÌýHomo FaberÌýtransforms means into ends,Ìýwhich can only ever, onceÌýagain, become means. If this were not so, we wouldÌýhave built the ideal city, or reached the end of history.

One shortfall ofÌýmakingÌýis that it marshals reflection forward, into an idealizedÌýfuture where we make thoughts captive to their utilitarian ends, and deem theÌýinfinite newness of each person’s unique identity tooÌýhaphazard. Just as theÌýbuilder does not need others to accomplish his task, neither does the rulerÌýneed the opinion of his subjects to rule; we have replaced the uncertainty ofÌýplural action with the conviction inherent inÌýpre-determined ideas.

The line of inquiry follows Hannah Arendt’sÌýpolitical theory of the degradation of political space. Storytelling — as bothÌýsubjective and structural critique — reflects on the mode of acting, asÌýinherited from theÌýtradition ofÌýmaking,ÌýandÌýthe potential harm it poses.
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ItÌýasks we think about what we are doing.