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Literary notes about mechanism (AI summary)

The term "mechanism" in literature often bridges the tangible and the abstract, functioning both as a descriptor for physical devices and as a metaphor for hidden or systemic processes. Authors evoke intricate devices—with gears, springs, and pipes detailed in works like [1] and [2]—to capture the engineered precision of man-made constructions. At the same time, thinkers such as Freud use it to metaphorically explain the inner workings of the mind and the reproduction of behavior ([3], [4], [5]), while sociologists and philosophers extend its reach to encompass societal and natural orders ([6], [7], [8]). This dual application not only illuminates concrete technical functions but also deepens our understanding of the unseen forces that generate life’s complexity.
  1. In our illustrations (Figs. 219, 220, 221) we show the mechanism controlling the turning of [Pg 437] the key.
    — from How it Works by Archibald Williams
  2. This mechanism has a separate pipe for every note, properly proportioned.
    — from How it Works by Archibald Williams
  3. This is, then, the mechanism of the tongue slip.
    — from A General Introduction to Psychoanalysis by Sigmund Freud
  4. Can psychoanalysis perhaps do so, thanks to its insight into the mechanism of these symptoms?
    — from A General Introduction to Psychoanalysis by Sigmund Freud
  5. But on the other hand, one cannot prove that a slip of the tongue cannot occur without this mechanism.
    — from A General Introduction to Psychoanalysis by Sigmund Freud
  6. What is the mechanism of control by the myth?
    — from Introduction to the Science of Sociology by E. W. Burgess and Robert Ezra Park
  7. According to these rules, and by this mechanism, water clocks may be constructed for use in winter.
    — from The Ten Books on Architecture by Vitruvius Pollio
  8. In what ways, according to Simmel, does interaction maintain the mechanism of the group in time?
    — from Introduction to the Science of Sociology by E. W. Burgess and Robert Ezra Park

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