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Mechanism

Philosophy
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Mechanism is the view that natural phenomena are explainable by mechanical laws, like a machine. It reduces complex processes to the interactions of parts.

Detailed Definition
Mechanism, opposed to vitalism, sees the universe as a deterministic machine. In poetry, it can appear as cold, industrial imagery or as a critique of dehumanization. Poets may lament the reduction of life to mere mechanics. Alternatively, they might explore the beauty of mechanical forms. This concept raises questions about free will and creativity, making poetry a site to assert human spirit against mechanistic explanation.
Example
Example in poetry:
A poem that depicts a human being as a machine, or a city as a mechanism, can be seen as a form of mechanism; The cold, precise language of a poem by Marianne Moore can be read as mechanistic in its formal control; A poem that describes the body as a machine, like some of the work of the Vorticists, is an example of a mechanistic worldview; The idea of a poem as a carefully constructed mechanism, like a sonnet, reflects a mechanistic approach to poetic form.
Additional Notes
Mechanism is the philosophical view that the universe and all its natural phenomena are best explained by mechanical laws and interactions, like a clockwork machine. It is a deterministic worldview that reduces complex processes (including life and mind) to the movements and collisions of matter. This view was dominant in the Enlightenment, standing in opposition to vitalism and organicism. In poetry, mechanism can appear as a theme of dehumanization, industrial imagery, or cold, rational language. Poets might lament the reduction of life to a machine. However, a poet might also explore the beauty of mechanical forms or adopt a precise, formal style. This concept raises questions about free will, creativity, and the meaning of life in a potentially deterministic universe.
Also Known As
Mechanistic philosophy Determinism Clockwork universe contraption
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