From logistiké to logistique: the long travel of a word

This paper aims to follow some of the key stages that the term logistiké passed through thanks to the double meaning it received since its appearance in ancient Greece: a more technical one (i.e. reckoning) and a more general one (i.e. reflecting, thinking). Taking as a starting point the Pythagorean Archytas, the discussion will take into account Plato’s very influential contribution, its developments, the modern age with a special focus on Leibniz, and the revival of the notion in French in 19th century.