It is clear
that there is but one substance in this world,
and that
man is its ultimate expression. Compared to
monkeys and
the cleverest of animals he is just as
Huygen’s
planet clock is to a watch of King Julien. If
More wheels
and spring are needed to show the motion
Of the
planets than are required for showing and
Repeating hours;
and if Vaucanson needed more artistry
In producing
a flautist than a duck, his art would have
Been even
harder put to produce a “talker,” and such a
machine,
especially in the hands of this new kind of
Prometheus,
must no longer be thought of as impossible.
JULIEN OFFRAY DE LA METTRIE