machinism

Machinism is a historical term used in the philosophy of science to describe the view that natural processes can be explained entirely by mechanical causes—the motions and interactions of matter governed by laws of motion. In this sense, machinism is closely related to mechanism but emphasizes a programmatic stance: the universe is understood as a vast machine, and phenomena are reducible to mechanical interactions.

The term has its roots in the early modern period, when the mechanical philosophy emerged as an alternative to scholastic and teleological explanations. Key figures associated with mechanist or machinist ideas include René Descartes, who described many natural processes in terms of contact and motion between material parts, and Thomas Hobbes, who argued for a materialist, mechanistic account of mind and society. The success of Newtonian physics reinforced the view that natural events follow predictable mechanical laws, extending mechanistic thinking from physics into chemistry and physiology.

In biology and the life sciences, machinist or mechanistic explanations sought to model physiological processes—such as circulation, digestion, or neural function—in terms of mechanical devices and hydraulic or pneumatic analogies. These approaches contributed to early physiological understanding but were challenged by vitalist and later systems-thinking perspectives that emphasized organization, function, and emergent properties beyond simple machinery.

Today, the term machinism is mainly encountered in historical discussions of the mechanistic philosophy and in analyses of reductionist strategies in science. It remains a reference point for debates about reductionism, determinism, and the extent to which complex phenomena can be explained by mechanical causes.