“Homo ex Machina”: A historico-philosophical analysis of the machine–organism analogy

Abstract

From the early modern period onward, philosophers, naturalists, and physicians have speculated on the extent to which the organic body might be understood by analogy with machines such as automata, clocks, and other mechanical artifacts. This paper examines the assumptions underlying these comparisons, tracing the material and conceptual conditions that have shaped the perceived relations between organisms and artifacts. I argue that these comparisons must be situated within two dominant conceptions of the machine: an anthropocentric and a non-anthropocentric one. By reconstructing their historical emergence, I suggest that this distinction is crucial for understanding how continuities and differences between organisms and machines have been, and continue to be, conceptualized.