ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces, illuminated with historical examples, several relevant aspects of the nature of artifacts — that is, entities that are the products of human creation. We call the creators of artifacts artificers. Here is a summary of the main findings of this chapter:
One. ‘Form’ is a characteristic found in both artifacts and natural things. However, while natural forms are purposeless, devoid of human agency, artifactual forms are purposive, embodying human goals and needs.
Two. There are true and false artifacts. The former are the consciously and purposively conceived products of human artificers; the latter are unintended and unconscious outcomes of human thought and action. Our concern here will be true artifacts.
Three. The universe of artifacts consists of art-works and tech-works, collectively constituting the cultures we call ‘art’ and ‘technology’, respectively. An art-work is intended to satisfy one's affective needs while a tech-work is intended to meet one's utilitarian needs. Some artifacts are hybrid, being both affective and utilitarian.
Four. People hold hierarchical schemas in their personal cognitive spaces, that represent archetypal artifacts and their instances and attributes. They draw on these schemas to identify a new experience of a thing as a particular kind of art-work or tech-work, and to make plausible inferences about the experienced entity.
Five. Artifacts manifest two kinds of complexity. Systemic complexity is a property of the form of an artifact, and is also manifested in natural things. Epistemic complexity is associated with the knowledge that contributed to and is generated by an artifact and is a characteristic only of artifacts.
Six. Traditionally, the dominant form of knowledge artificers have invented and utilized in both art and technology are operational principles (also called procedural knowledge).
Seven. Artifacts are either material or abstract. Material artifacts are subject to the laws of nature and are, thus potentially impermanent, while abstract artifacts are immune to the laws of nature and are thus potentially permanent. Some artifacts are hybrid in another sense, being both material and abstract.
