The Mythology of the Machine: A History of Mechanisms That Frighten and Fascinate Us

Daniel Strassberg examines the relationship between humans and machines through a historical-psychological lens and shows where our modern fears of technology have their roots. At the dawn of technological development, the floating deities of the ancient theater, a flautist and an air duck by Jacques de Vaucanson were made primarily to astonish the audience. Yet mechanisms by definition stir in humans a mixture of admiration and anxiety—these complex emotions Strassberg calls affects. Entertaining oddities from the cabinets of curiosities symbolized that God is an all-powerful creator. The invention of the clockwork paved the way for a mechanistic understanding of the state and nature. The steam engine measured a worker’s labor and inspired prophets of industrial capitalism. But our desire to use technology is met by fear of divine punishment—an impulse deeply rooted in European culture.