As a theory, rather than a device, the view that everything happens mechanically; that is, everything can ultimately be explained in terms of certain laws of nature which apply to the behavior of matter in motion, as in the popular example of clockwork.
Ideally the laws should require as few terms as possible – perhaps just solidity, void, and motion (see also atomism – and be intuitively clear, preferably by being reducible to logical laws. For traditional atomism it is a logical law that two atoms cannot occupy the same place, so it seems that a moving atom must push another one it hits.
However, the pursuit of such an ideally simple mechanical model has proved illusory. Gravity and magnetism, at least, require pulling as well as pushing, and solidity itself has proved to be problematic.
The properties and forces appealed to by modern physics have no intuitive appeal, and intuition therefore sees no reason why they should not be added to or replaced indefinitely. However, mechanism can still take the form of an appeal to simplicity and uniformity of explanation (see also Ockham’s Razar, and principle of Parsimony) to attack its traditional rivals such as finalism, organicism, vitalism and emergence theories with varying success.
Table of Contents
- 1 Videos
- 2 Related Products
- 2.1 Mechanisms and Mechanical Devices Sourcebook, 5th Edition
- 2.2 507 Mechanical Movements: Mechanisms and Devices (Dover Science Books)
- 2.3 Computing
- 2.4 Infinite
- 2.5 The Mechanism
- 2.6 Compliant Mechanisms
- 2.7 The Mechanism: A Crime Network So Deep it Brought Down a Nation
- 2.8 Build and Play - Sandbox of hard rusted mechanism
- 2.9 Puppet Mechanism Basics - Eyes, Brows & Ears - Part 2
- 2.10 Papamundi and the 9/11 Mechanism (re-release)
Videos
Mechanisms and Mechanical Devices Sourcebook, 5th Edition
- Hardcover Book
- Sclater, Neil (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 560 Pages - 08/12/2011 (Publication Date) - McGraw-Hill Education (Publisher)
507 Mechanical Movements: Mechanisms and Devices (Dover Science Books)
- Amazon Kindle Edition
- Brown, Henry T. (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 96 Pages - 08/02/2012 (Publication Date) - Dover Publications (Publisher)
Computing
- Amazon Prime Video (Video on Demand)
- Ali McGrath (Director)
- English (Playback Language)
- English (Subtitle)
Infinite
- Audio CD – Audiobook
- BLOOD MUSIC (Publisher)
Compliant Mechanisms
- Hardcover Book
- Howell, Larry L. (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 480 Pages - 07/25/2001 (Publication Date) - Wiley-Interscience (Publisher)
The Mechanism: A Crime Network So Deep it Brought Down a Nation
- Amazon Kindle Edition
- Netto, Vladimir (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 533 Pages - 05/02/2019 (Publication Date) - Ebury Digital (Publisher)
Build and Play - Sandbox of hard rusted mechanism
- With the help of your inventions, you have to grab and move loads, rake blocks, play football and even catch a real flying saucer!
- Build a real robot with your own hands. Program its management on your own.
- Take a video directly in the game or take screenshots and brag about your inventions to your friends!
- English (Publication Language)
Puppet Mechanism Basics - Eyes, Brows & Ears - Part 2
- BJ Guyer (Actor)
- Stan Winston School of Character Arts (Director)
Papamundi and the 9/11 Mechanism (re-release)
- Amazon Prime Video (Video on Demand)
- Peter Valentino, Devon Rachelle, Patrick McCormack (Actors)
- Lillian Hurst (Director) - Peter Valentino (Writer) - Peter Valentino (Producer)
- English (Playback Language)
- English (Subtitle)
Last update 2020-06-17. Price and product availability may change.