Abstract: In current research on western craftsmanship, the concept of craftsman should be a core one that needs historical review, but it is seldom explored specifically in the academic world. Traditionally, the concept of craftsman is simply understood as a person engaged in manual labor. Based on the classic literature of intellectual history, the conceptual implication of craftsman from ancient Greece to the Renaissance actually mainly contains the skilled maker who imitates idea and the practitioner who, relying on experience, applies practical knowledge. Those two concepts respectively belong to the Platonic and Aristotelian traditions, and their separation and fusion continued through the Christian Middle Ages to the Renaissance. Some artisans gradually became practitioners of practical mathematical knowledge, seeking a blend of precision between experience and practical knowledge.

Key Words: Craftsman; Conceptual implication; Technique; Making; Practical knowledge