Darwin among the Machines

by Samuel Butler

Samuel Butler’s 1863 letter imagines machines evolving into a future dominant species and examines humanity’s growing dependence on them.

Chapters: 1
Language: English
First published: 1863

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Source credits

Complete original English essay/letter, first published in The Press, Christchurch, 13 June 1863 under the signature Cellarius; Wikisource transcription of the 1917 Note-Books reprint.

Samuel Butler (1835–1902), writing as Cellarius. Historical reprint edited by Henry Festing Jones (1851–1928). Wikisource transcription; the original dated address and Cellarius signature are retained.

The 1863 original English essay and historical reprint are public domain: Samuel Butler died in 1902 and editor Henry Festing Jones in 1928. The ordinary life-plus-70 term has expired in France/EU and the work predates the US public-domain publication cutoff. No modern translation or editorial commentary is imported.

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Darwin among the Machines

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