The Myth of The Machine

CHAPTER PROLOGUE

AI machines are envisioned as the projected desire to transcend human limitations, while the lack of human limits are projected fears of AI machine development. Why has humanity “barely survived their self’s”?

In ancient Greek, the automata weren’t attractive, visionary nor futuristic as it might be interpreted today. These creations symbolised automatic humans, machines that operated without their own integrity and without free will: “Does humans have free will?”

Why did Emperor Augustus sported bangs to influence the will of the citizens of Rome?

Machines at the Theatre

The “Myth of the Machine” suggests that humans through machines, and now AI, try to solve human problems, achieve utopia, and transcend human limitations. Now we could ask: “What if the machine itself is the cause of lack of human limits?”, but first we must understand what a machine really is.

A machine is an object that aren’t natural nor real, often appearing forced or overly designed to achieve a specific result. Symbolically, “machine” is often used in a disapproving context to describe situations, excuses, or narratives that seem unreal or insincere. The word machine is derived from the Latin machina, meaning “device, contrivance, tool”. It refers to a device or arrangement created with so-called skill and cleverness (e.g. trickery), in the form of a scheme or plot, particularly in military contexts.

In ancient Greece, machines were used at theatres to create dramatic illusions and wow the audience. As an example, a crane-like device that lifted actors above the stage so they could appear to descend from the sky. It was often used when the Good showed up at the end of a play to restore order. The order to restore in the form of the “Myth of the Machine”, suggests that machines transcend human limitations, through “machine” learning of the Good.

“The rise of the Machines” aren’t necessarily about “rombots” taking over the world with violence. Greek plays didn’t show violence on stage, but they did show the aftermath. Machines in ancient Rome were used in warfare, at theatres of war. Metaphorical speaking, machines entered the stage at the world theatre in the remote past of human history. Perhaps it happened the first second after the “Big Bang”, when coming into play that “bang” means “anxious, afraid”. Is it possible that the “big bang” entered the theatre stage relatively spontaneously, or did it emerge automatically from predetermined conditions?

Symbolically, a bang can be a loud sound, but it can also be silent noise, the subtle sounds that may go unnoticed. The best bang for the buck would be the bangs, a popular hairstyle at various times throughout history. Notable figures like Emperor Augustus sported bangs, influencing trends.

Why Emperor Augustus Sported Bangs

Emperor Augustus, the first emperor of Rome, is known for transforming Rome from a republic into a powerful empire. He maintained the façade of a republic while holding normative power, becoming the “first citizen”. This suggests that Emperor Augustus had significant normative impact on Roman society, through his moral, political, and social reforms. In a symbolic sense, the bangs hairstyle reign of his marked a period of “bang”, allowing for the consolidation and spread of Roman influence across diverse regions, such as annexing Egypt, Northern Spain, large parts of central Europe, while also initiating military campaigns in Germania.

Emperor Augustus is historically often known for establishing a long period of peace known as the Pax Romana. This invites symbolic association with the German word “der Roman”, referring to any long work of fiction, including historical fiction, and romantic dramas. In other words, it was a period of the Pax Romana, meaning “Roman Peace”, a time of relative peace in the empire.

The commanding quote “Have I played the part well. Then applaud as I exit”, is attributed to Emperor Augustus. It reflects his theatrical style of leadership and the authority of the bang’s hairstyle. The style that influences public opinion and norms, with the symbolic kiss of peace in a romantic war drama.

Automata Don’t Act of Their Own Free Will

The machine as human limitation were known in ancient Greek mythology as automata, e.g. machine-like, or robot-like humans. In Western thought, the concept of automata often refers to something desired: futuristic self-operating machines that follow predetermined instructions or sequences of operations.

In ancient Greek, the automata weren’t attractive, visionary nor futuristic as it might be interpreted today. These creations symbolised automatic humans, machines that operated without their own integrity and without free will. They were like “rombots”, sometimes on autopilot. Automata were programmed by influence as indirect or direct force to serve specific tasks, or even wills of those in control of the automata.

The Greek word automata translate to “self-folly”, while the English term automata was derived through Latin automaton, often translated as “self-operating” or “self-acting”. It was derived from Greek automaton, meaning “acting of one’s own will”. The Greek roots include autos, meaning “self” and matos, which “relates to willing”. This may be understood in terms of “acting of one’s own will”, thus it isn’t of one’s own free will.

Automata is the plural form of automaton, consisting of auto “self, it, that” and mata “to be idle, folly”, denoting lack of good sense or discernment. The plural automata “self-folly” then, is a group that aren’t acting of their own free will. One could see this as a wink suggesting subtle critique on the matter of normative impact and group behaviour.

From this perspective, it is possible to understand the link between the plural matos, relating to willing, and the singular mata as folly. A folly is a façade constructed mainly for decoration, a structure designed to look like someone or something else. As an example, Emperor Augustus figuratively maintained the façade as a “role model” to mimic. He was the “first citizen” and this self-image had significant normative impact on Roman society and on the self-images of the citizens.

The Automaton Talos & the Sound of the Spoken and Unspoken

Automata were in Greek mythology created by Hephaestus, the personification of craftsmanship and blacksmithing. His tools, a hammer and anvil symbolise that of the human ear, and together with his two tongues are for the figurative forging of metal, e.g. mental. It can be understood as the means to influence and “program” the automata to perform functions that were useful or beneficial for the influencer. The two tongues are tools that might symbolise the sound of both spoken and unspoken language, or double-tongued. For example, the symbolic double-tongued blacksmith figure Emperor Augustus were saying one thing to gain support while privately believing or doing the opposite, reflecting a lack of integrity.

The blacksmith Hephaestus created the automaton Talos, a name derived from talas, meaning the state of suffering or endurance. Symbolically, the second part of the word automaton (-maton) evokes connections to the Greek verb matono (“to bleed”), reinforcing the metaphor of constraint and wounding. In this sense, Talos was a self-operating wounded human, and his body contained an Akilles vein that were sealed with a bronze bolt at the anklebone.

Talos was created to patrol the shores of the island of Crete, to protect the hidden monster in the Labyrinth of Crete. Talos task was to guard it from invaders that otherwise could disclose his Akilles vein of which he was unconscious of. Talos operated unconsciously, and the autonomic nervous system operates without conscious effort. The term autonomic is derived from the Greek word autonomos, meaning “self-governing”. It combines auto (“self”) and nomos, referring to the “body of laws” governing societal norms and human behaviour. In ancient Greek it was used to describe both formal norms and the unwritten laws that shaped daily Roman life.

“We Become What We Eat” & “Food for Thought”

Automatic responses are actions that occur automatically, without conscious thought, to a stimulus, such as a sound that may trigger a reaction. It is a reflexive reaction and a reflexive pronoun, such as “myself” and “yourself”, that is directed back upon itself, the auto (“it, self”). Automata can’t “think”, but conceptually have “thoughts” within the framework they have been programmed.

Automata can linguistically be linked to the word mata, meaning “to feed”, in context of food, and to feed AI machines with data: formally known as “machine learning”. As for the deeper metaphoric idea, it touches on the limitation that automata can’t reason or infer beyond what they’ve been ‘fed’ with. Automata can’t think on their own.

The blacksmith Hephaestus created automata by feeding them “food”, rather than nourishment. His name is a romanisation of Iphaistos, with the semantics “the appeared”, “the feed”, or “the eaten”. This can be read as related to the phrase: “we become what we eat” and the double meaning of the phrase “food for thought”.

“When the Machines Awakens”

Auto (“it, self, that”) became a prefix in English and other languages to indicate “automatic”. This emphasises the relation between the term “self” and “that”, an object. Additionally, it highlights the connection between the term “self” and the concept of automatic systems and operation, which are relevant in modern context of automation, machines, and robots.

In an allegorical sense, can a machine automatically awaken on its own, without something triggering it? Talos body contained an Akilles vein of molten iron, sealed by a bronze bolt. Metaphorical, when the force of molten iron entered the soul, he for the first time came in contact with a deep emotional pain, felt imprisoned and mistreated. He wanted to be free, became aware of his own suffering, vulnerability, and the force behind it (“thoughts”).

Der Roman: “Beware of Greeks Bearing Gifts”

Talos lacked free will, until the craftsman Hephaestus removed the bolt with the hammer and the molten iron left his body. In the language of myth, the phrase “to iron out something is to solve it” applies here. In a figurative sense, the iron was ironed out from the soul. In other words, one can’t be ruled with an iron fist when there isn’t molten iron in the body. When he became a conscious human with free will, the personification of Talos (“suffering”) were gone. Metaphorical, the automata were citizens of der Roman, and Talos were no longer a citizen of that state of mind.

In the historical context of the social structure of the automata, Talos became known as one that has “gone to the Greeks”. The phrase in the automata state of mind imply that someone has gone to a place or situation that is dangerous or untrustworthy. It suggests a sense of caution, similar to the idiom “beware of Greeks bearing gifts”.

In the language of myth, irony refer to a situation where the outcome is contrary to automata belief. From this perspective, the idiom “gone to the Greeks” refers to someone who has left, implying that they have gone to a place associated with the Greeks. This phrase among Greeks suggests a sense of finality and departure to “live the Greek life”. The gifts of Greek are for the purpose to “live the Good life”.

In the history of the word irony, we find that it comes from the Greek eironeia, meaning “dissimulation” or “feigned ignorance”, where it is referring to a deliberate understatement often used to conceal one’s knowledge or abilities. It developed through Latin and Old French before entering English in the 16th century, where it referred to a figure of speech where the intended meaning is opposite to the literal meaning.