60 DESCARTES. 



machines fabricated by human industry, and that 

 with help of but few pieces compared with the great 

 multitude of bones, muscles, nerves, arteries, veins, 

 and other parts that are found in the body of each 

 animal. Such persons will look upon this body as a 

 machine made by the hands of God, which is incom- 

 parably better arranged, and adequate to move- 

 ments more admirable than is any machine of 

 human invention. And here I specially stayed to 

 show that, were there such machines exactly 

 resembling in organs and outward form an ape or 

 any other irrational animal, we could have no 

 means of knowing that they were in any respect of 

 a different nature from these animals ; but if there 

 were machines bearing the image of our bodies, and 

 capable of imitating our actions as far as it is 

 morally possible, there would still remain two most 

 certain tests whereby jto know that they were not 

 therefore really men. MJ0f these the first is that they 

 could never use words or other signs arranged in 

 such a manner "as is competent to us in order to 

 declare our thoughts to others : for we may easily 

 conceive a machine to be so constructed that it 

 emits vocables, and even that it emits some corre- 

 spondent to the action upon it of external objects 

 which cause a change in its organs ; for example, if 

 touched in a particular place it may demand what 

 we wish to say to it ; if in another it may cry out 

 that it is hurt, and such like ; but not that it should 

 arrange them variously so as appositely to reply to 

 what is said in its presence, as men of the lowest 

 grade of intellect can do. The second test is, that 



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