Introduction

Abstract

Undoubtedly, modern western thinking is strongly influenced by the concept of the “machine”. One may even claim that the idea of a machine serves as an image of our technological society. A recent conference on brain research was entitled: “Machinery of the Mind”. It was left open whether the brain is a tool of the mind or whether the brain is a machine. The machine metaphor plays a critical but ambiguous role in this context. This metaphor will be critically examined in the chapters that follow. The machine concept or metaphor is used in many different ways and in quite different contexts. We can talk about “the social machinery” or we can refer to the machine like behaviour of man as in certain historical schools of psychology. We are all familiar with the description of Pavlov’s dogs and their mechanical performance when hearing the bell and starting to salivate. They have been taught that the ring of the bell indicates food. In other words, they have been programmed.