The machine and the body in the transcendental cosmo-logy of Chr. Wolff and Chr. A. Crusius
AbstractThe 18th century philosophy actively used the notion of machine in its extended meaning, especially when describing both the world as a whole and its constituent bodies. Consequently, the initial meaning of that notion underwent peculiar changes: not only an artificial mechanism but also a natural organic body were defined as machines. A metaphysical comprehension of the notion of machine was developed predominantly in the framework of cosmology.