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.
- 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 - This mechanism has a separate pipe for every note, properly proportioned.
— from How it Works by Archibald Williams - This is, then, the mechanism of the tongue slip.
— from A General Introduction to Psychoanalysis by Sigmund Freud - Can psychoanalysis perhaps do so, thanks to its insight into the mechanism of these symptoms?
— from A General Introduction to Psychoanalysis by Sigmund Freud - 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 - What is the mechanism of control by the myth?
— from Introduction to the Science of Sociology by E. W. Burgess and Robert Ezra Park - 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 - 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