A Moving Thought

The great problem solved, on which modern science and the modern age were founded, was the problem of motion.

The philosophy of mechanism claims that all that exists, all that happens, is the result of matter in motion. This idea was extended into all areas of thought. The success of the new astronomy and the new physics was so complete that its basic premises were taken up as the explanation of everything.

Man was viewed as a machine-literally. This view had been encouraged by Harvey's discovery of the way the heart worked as a mechanical pump. Vesalius had also described the body in terms of mechanical actions.

Through the kinetic theory the phenomenon of heat and the bevior of solids, liquids and gases were understood in terms of matter in motion.

Soon not only matter but soiciety was subjected to the same analysis. Society was made of social atoms-individuals that behaved in accordance with universal laws.
Economics as well was based on the new mechanistic science.

Mechanistic Paradigm

The modern world began with the development of modern science. This new science, classical science, was based in astronomy and physics. The scientific revolution might be arbitrarily dated to Copernicus and his revolutionary insight that the earth moved about the sun.

With this insight a new astronomy and new physics was needed. There was now needed a new understanding of motion. How do the heavenly bodies move and how can we understand there motion if the earth was no longer regarded as the center of the universe and if the planets no longer turned on crystalline spheres. And what does a moving earth mean for motion on the earth. A new understanding of motion was needed, both astronomical and terrestrial. The astronomy of Ptolemy and Aristotle, and Aristotle's physics could no longer explain the new observations. A new theory was needed.

Mechanistic Archetypes

The Mechanistic paradigm is based on certain fundamental ideas. These ideas, or archetypes are all interrelated.

The first we will look at is the linear. This is the easiest to start with because it is the only one of the archetypes that can be represented visually and simply. Because of this it will be easy to see how the linear is related to the other archetypes.

In addition to linearity we will consider: duality, hierarchy, uniformity, determinism, atomism, reductionism, equilibrim, invariability, absolutism and the eternal. All of these are "parts" of the mechanistic model.

When speaking of a mechanical paradigm its important to understand that this is thought of in ideal terms. The mechanistic paradigm, the clockwork universe was absolute. So when speaking of any of these terms we must think of them in absolute terms. We are talking here about a perfect machine, a mental model. The gears of this cosmic machine never need oiling and it runs perfectly unaffected by friction, rust, or the ravages of time itself.