The Miserable Machine

Abstract

This paper attempts through philosophical reasoning and argumentation to dissuade the reader from a looming belief in a lacking essential distinction between man and machine, the natural and artificial; a belief which is implicit in modern western technology-driven culture from its inception. The thesis consists of two parts: one in which arguments are made directly opposite said belief, and one in which the causes for such a belief are explored. The paper ends with a conclusion twofold: the strong statement that man and machine are indeed significantly different with an explanatory gap between them that may never be bridged, and the weaker statement, that a belief in the opposite is one made possible due to a deep and destructive nihilism in our culture.