Man a Machine (also published as Machine Man and The Human Mechanism)

A groundbreaking work of Enlightenment philosophy, Man a Machine argues that human beings function purely as mechanistic entities governed by physical laws. In this controversial treatise, Julien Offray de La Mettrie challenges the dualism of mind and body, proposing a radical materialist perspective that equates human consciousness with biological processes. Bold, provocative, and ahead of its time, this work remains a key text in the history of philosophy and the scientific study of human nature.

Julien Offray de La Mettrie (November 23, 1709 - November 11, 1751) was a French physician and philosopher, and one of the earliest of the French materialists of the Enlightenment. He is best known for his work L'homme machine (published in this edition as "Man a Machine" but also published under the titles "Machine Man" and "The Human Mechanism").