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Mechanists, Mechanism
1) In philosophy and metaphysics, a theory or belief that all observable phenomena can be explained by physical causes. This view gained currency among philosophers during the transition from the late Agricultural Age to the early Industrial Age. To varying degrees and in various forms it is a common memetic element in most cultures that bear Industrial or later levels of technology.

2) The belief that mechanical systems, devices, or persons are fundamentally superior to biological systems, devices, or persons. This may be in reference to the materials ("wet" versus "dry" technology), to mode of origin (evolved versus designed), to both, or to other more esoteric and less tangible concepts. Mechanists are generally considered to be the counterparts of bioists. Just as bioists prefer or revere biological-life, mechanists give precedence to m-life, and prefer hylotech or hylonanotech to biotech and bionano. A degree of mechanist belief is common among vecs. Among the Sephirotic hypercultures, the exemplar of this point of view is the Metasoft Version Tree, which is a strong but relatively moderate proponent of Mechanist beliefs, and a counterpart to the Zoeific Biopolity and its similarly moderate bioism. Some extreme Mechanists assert that b-life forms and systems should be carefully restricted; others believe that b-life should be entirely eradicated.

 
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Appears in Topics
PhilosophyReligionVec
 
Development Notes
Text by Stephen Inniss
Initially published on 17 July 2007.

 
 
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