Poiesis

What is poiesis?

Poiesis is a Greek term for making, production or bringing something into being. Its meaning depends on the philosophical context.

In Plato’s Symposium, 205b–d, the discussion distinguishes making in a broad sense from poetry as a particular form of making. The word is therefore not limited to literary composition.

Poiesis and creation

Making a table and composing a poem both help illustrate the broad idea of bringing something into being.

Poiesis and praxis

Aristotle distinguishes making, or poiesis, from action, or praxis. Making aims at a product beyond the activity, while good action can be an end in itself. In Nicomachean Ethics, Book VI, chapters 4–5, he uses this distinction to separate craft from practical wisdom.