THE ARCHIVE // 1872
EREWHON
MACHINE EVOLUTION // TECHNOLOGICAL PROHIBITION
A society that banned all machines centuries ago after realizing they were evolving. "The Book of the Machines" chapters remain the first serious philosophical argument that machines could develop consciousness.
READ / BORROW
From the archive
Butler's satirical novel contains "The Book of the Machines" — chapters that argue, with dead seriousness inside the satire, that machines are evolving just as animals do, only faster. The Erewhonians destroy all their machines as a precaution. Written 150 years ago, Butler's argument that machine evolution could outpace biological evolution has proven prophetic.