Ideas of technology go back to Plato (c. 428–c. 348 B.C.E.) and Aristotle (384–322 B.C.E.), who spoke of techne, or knowledge of art and craft, which included arithmetic and medicine. Such knowledge understands itself, according to universals and causes. It can be taught and is distinct from physis, or nature.

Contemporary philosophy of technology is a multi-disciplinary field dedicated to studying the cultural effects and causes of technology, both historically and in its emergent forms. The American Philosophical Association publishes a newsletter on Philosophy and Computers, and there are academic journals such as Ends and Means, NetFuture—Technology and Human Responsibility, and Techné: Research in Philosophy and Technology.