Philosophy of the Machine I

Leupold, Jacob. 1774. Theatrum machinarum generale : Schau-Platz des Grundes mechanischer Wissenschafften : das ist, deutliche Anleitung zur Mechanic oder Bewegungs-Kunst, darinnen nicht nur die funf einsachen Rust-Zeuge und die dabey nothigen Lehr-Satze deutlich erklare.., Leipzig : Neu aufgelegt auf Kosten Bernhard Christoph Breitkopfs und Sohn. From Smithsonian

This chapter tells how this questioning of the Machine began in the twilight of thought, where it casts an oversized, almost divine shadow that hides its Janus face. Is it a material entity or an intellectual blueprint?

“The closer you look at a word, the farther it looks back.” Meaning, to understand the Philosophy of the Machine is to leave the everyday.

From: the Philosophy of the Machine, translated by Hopkins Stanley and Martin Burckhardt. (to be published)

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Here’s the link to the original German edition.