The Ghost in the Machine

Spirits in the Material World

We discovered this unusual image after carefully exploring the California Train Museum in Sacramento. The details of the mechanisms used to propel these ancient beasts is absolutely fascinating. It appears then someone wanted to add a bit more character to this behemoth with a bit of their own styling. Wonder who she is?

The “Ghost in the Machine” is the British philosopher Gilbert Ryle’s description of Descartes’ mind-body dualism. The phrase was introduced in Ryle’s book The Concept of Mind (1949) to highlight the perceived absurdity of dualist systems like Descartes’ where mental activity carries on in parallel to physical action, but where their means of interaction are unknown or, at best, speculative.

In addition, Ghost in the Machine is the fourth album by The Police, released in 1981.  The group released three successful singles from the album: “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic“, “Invisible Sun“, and “Spirits in the Material World“. It went multi-platinum in the United States. The album was listed #322 on Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

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