Switch Theme:

Are machine spirits real, or just an Imperial superstition?  [RSS] Share on facebook Share on Twitter Submit to Reddit
»
Author Message
Advert


Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you:
  • No adverts like this in the forums anymore.
  • Times and dates in your local timezone.
  • Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance.
  • Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely.
  • Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net.
If you are already a member then feel free to login now.




Made in ca
Twisted Trueborn with Blaster



Ottawa

I'm firmly on team "superstition". In fact, I think the Adeptus Mechanicus themselves know they're not real, but promote belief in them because it helps them maintain their monopoly on machine production and maintenance.

Cadians, Sisters of Battle (Argent Shroud), Drukhari (Obsidian Rose)

Read my Drukhari short stories: Chronicles of Commorragh 
   
Made in gb
Preparing the Invasion of Terra






I'd say it depends on the thing in question.
Laguns, doubtful but it's funny to imagine it not firing because a Guardsman didn't use the correct Litany of Activation.
With something like Titans or starships, not an actual ghost but some form of not-quite-AI that the Mechanicus can pass off as a "Machine Spirit" so they don't have to atomise some of their most prized assets.
   
Made in gb
Leader of the Sept







The machine spirit is an abstraction of a wide range of superstition about how machines work, it it’s fairly accurate that it exists in all of them. At its most simple electricity is a machine spirit. If you haven’t appeased it by clicking the right switches in the right order, then the thing you are trying to use just won’t work. And if your level of education is limited to a specific ritual of activation, then the fact it is t working could easily be put against the fact that you have done something wrong and made it grumpy.

Please excuse any spelling errors. I use a tablet frequently and software keyboards are a pain!

Terranwing - w3;d1;l1
51st Dunedinw2;d0;l0
Cadre Coronal Afterglow w1;d0;l0 
   
Made in gb
Ridin' on a Snotling Pump Wagon






Yes and no.

A Machine Spirit appears to be pleb-friendly, don’t try to think about it too hard, explanation of software. The programming that goes into many items, the nature of which is hard to explain, and so massively over simplified to Machine Spirit.

But…the nature of the software will vary greatly between different items. Land Raiders, Knights and Titans all have sophisticated software, bordering on self awareness. They don’t appear to have rational thought nor self awareness, but can be capable of independent action. However I can’t immediately think of said independent action ever being contrary to the machine’s intended purpose. So no Big Things displaying cowardice, refusing to fight etc.

As for the more basic things needing prayers and rituals to assuage the Machine Spirit contained within? When you’re dealing with untold billions of by no means even vaguely formally educated, it can be a way of ensuring careful use and respect for even the simplest gadget and gizmos to cut down on maintenance needed - as well as preserving the overall mysteries of the Omnissiah.

That last bit is somewhat multipurpose. First it keeps the Mechanics in a position of authority and power. But it also prevents anyone experimenting too much, and thus heavily mitigates the risk of some far flung planet getting ideas about its station, and innovating their way to AI. Plus, said mysteries of the Omnissiah aren’t dished out willy-nilly among the Priesthood, again as ways to maintain control and order - and prevent accidental AI.

Whether any member of the Mechanicus is fully aware Machine Spirits are myth? Well….who knows. It’s a staggeringly ancient, pre-Great Crusade institution. And it’s long, long since abandoned true knowledge for ritual and superstition. They’ve drunk The Kool Oil, if you will.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2023/01/30 18:59:52


   
Made in us
Morally-Flexible Malleus Hearing Whispers




The Techpriests/Tech Marines of the Space Marines literally believe in Machine Spirits, and considering their atheism concerning the deity status of their Emperor, that's saying a lot. They believe there is a spirit in their tank, but their emperor who fights the warp in his death sleep is NOT a GOD. So take that with a grain of gunpowder...

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2023/01/30 19:01:32


 
   
Made in gb
Preparing the Invasion of Terra






Being superstitious and being religious isn't the same thing.
   
Made in us
Shadowy Grot Kommittee Memba




The Great State of New Jersey

Depends on the author and your interpretation.

There are examples in Black Library of what could be described as "literal" machine spirits, likewise there are examples where the machine spirit is ironically just an AI by another name, and yet other examples where its ritualized maintenance and operating process, and other examples where its purely meaningless superstition.

There is no one concrete answer to the question otherwise.

CoALabaer wrote:
Wargamers hate two things: the state of the game and change.
 
   
Made in us
Mekboy Hammerin' Somethin'





Sedona, Arizona

FezzikDaBullgryn wrote:
The Techpriests/Tech Marines of the Space Marines literally believe in Machine Spirits, and considering their atheism concerning the deity status of their Emperor, that's saying a lot. They believe there is a spirit in their tank, but their emperor who fights the warp in his death sleep is NOT a GOD. So take that with a grain of gunpowder...


That’s not… quite how those things work.

While marines don’t believe in the emperor being a god, they do know of his existence. Likewise they know he holds the imperium together (in one way or another) built it, and that souls are a real thing.

So belief in the machine spirit is more like belief in souls, which are A Real Thing in 40k, rather than believing that the emperor is a warp god.

   
Made in gb
Decrepit Dakkanaut




UK

Don't forget in the Imperium machines aren't just a religion - the entire concept of Science is a religion unto itself. The Mechanicus might be the most powerful single scientific body, but the concept of science being closer to religion than, well, science as we understand it today, is rife through the entire structure of the Sciences and Education in the Imperium.

bolstered by the fact that if you learn enough you discover that demons and souls are real tangible things and that angels (Marines) are also real.

Indeed the deeper you to the more mystical elements become apparent. As a result its very easy to sell the concept of the Spirit of the Machine and such even to those at the higher levels of understanding.




As for what it is, I agree with the others. Simple machines its just your simple operators manual in religious text; at the upper end its basic AI systems and at the very top some of those ancient weapon and machine are likely using full AI systems of some kind to function.
Don't forget some bits of technology aren't understood any more. They can copy some and reproduce the same effect, but they've no idea how they work. Others are a total mystery and so rare that they dare not take them apart to learn.




A Blog in Miniature

3D Printing, hobbying and model fun! 
   
Made in gb
Junior Officer with Laspistol





The Shire(s)

There are clearly a number of machine spirits that we would call an AI in the modern sense, i.e. capable of machine learning. Land Raiders and titans, for example, gain personalities over time.

However, I don't think any machine spirits are true AI, as in sentient. Even the mightest of machine spirits, like that upon the Speranza (an Ark Mechanicus) appear to be distinct from true AI. Sentience is when they cross into becoming proscribed abominable intelligence.

It may be a bit like the distinction between "smart" and "dumb" AI in the Halo series- only the former are really AIs.

 ChargerIIC wrote:
If algae farm paste with a little bit of your grandfather in it isn't Grimdark I don't know what is.
 
   
Made in gb
Ridin' on a Snotling Pump Wagon






There’s also my pet theory the Mechanicus no longer truly knows what AI actually is, just that it’s ScaryBadNaughtyWrong.

As they go up the ranks they’re exposed to more of whatever passes for knowledge, and learn a little more with each elevation through the mysteries.

This I believe is precisely why any STC, fragmentary or otherwise, is so carefully checked, so they can be as sure as they can be in their semi-ignorance that whatever AI actually is, it’s Not In This One, Dave, This One Is Most Definitely Just A Spoon.

   
Made in us
Morally-Flexible Malleus Hearing Whispers




Isn't Cawl minor just a literal copy of Cawl's body with an AI mind?

I mean, it's been clearly stated that people feel Cawl is walking Tech heresy for his "dabbling" in AI or forbidden tech.

Also, my point about the Astartes knowing that there are spirits in the machine, is a sorta/kinda tacit admission that the Ad-Mech believe in a true god, the Omnisiah. If the Cogs have a true god, then the Machine Spirits are real. If the machine spirits are real, and the Omnisiah is a true "god" then what does that say about the actual nature of god's in the 40k universe?
   
Made in gb
Preparing the Invasion of Terra






FezzikDaBullgryn wrote:
Isn't Cawl minor just a literal copy of Cawl's body with an AI mind?

I mean, it's been clearly stated that people feel Cawl is walking Tech heresy for his "dabbling" in AI or forbidden tech.

It's suspected not confirmed. The Cawl Inferior that Guilliman has on his flagship maintains that it is not Cawl nor A.I. but Guilliman doesn't trust that to be the case.

Also, my point about the Astartes knowing that there are spirits in the machine, is a sorta/kinda tacit admission that the Ad-Mech believe in a true god, the Omnisiah. If the Cogs have a true god, then the Machine Spirits are real. If the machine spirits are real, and the Omnisiah is a true "god" then what does that say about the actual nature of god's in the 40k universe?

Again, superstition and religion may be similar but they are not the same. The Astartes may believe in Machine Spirits but they do not believe the Omnissiah is a god or even real. They may play along with the Mechanicus in the same way they placate regular Imperial forces when they talk about the God-Emperor but they do not believe.
Hospitality workers are superstitious about saying if their day has been quiet because they don't want it to suddenly get busy but that doesn't mean all hospitality workers believe in some vengeful god of pubs.
   
Made in au
Battlewagon Driver with Charged Engine





To my understanding a Machine spirit is indeed just a piece of software. Compare the landraider's spirit to a modern day tank. It does a fair bit to help the crew operate it, assisting in aiming,driving and threat identification. Yup a current tank has all of those capabilities.

A few vehicles have been known to operate even when the crew have been incapacitated or killed in battle. Oddly enough a function that some experimental vehicles have been working on. Make em advanced enough and add a bit of degradation from poorly understood maintenance and yeah, a precieved "personality" makes sense. A lot of wargear is described as having a belligerent machine spirit. In particular relics which are just, older wargear that have been maintained for a long time.

All the rituals just seem to be maintenance or operation routines that are poorly understood and given religious overtones. What we would consider turning on a computer, with lots of subconscious checks (is it plugged in, etc etc) is turned into a big series of events usually finished with "Strike the rune of activation" IE, turn on the machine.

Like, for fun you could probably go to a convention, dress up in mechanicus garb then start reading the user manual for a rice cooker or a toaster, adding 40K flair and seeing how long it takes for someone to figure out what machine you're describing.

So, no I don't think there are spirits, just people trying to explain things they interact with. Like humans back in the day explaining the changing of seasons or day and night with various fables.
   
Made in us
Ultramarine Chaplain with Hate to Spare






The Machine Spirit is a many-mellenia-old ChatGPT.

And They Shall Not Fit Through Doors!!!

Tyranid Army Progress -- With Classic Warriors!:
https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/0/743240.page#9671598 
   
Made in us
Morally-Flexible Malleus Hearing Whispers




 Insectum7 wrote:
The Machine Spirit is a many-mellenia-old ChatGPT.


You joke but I'm willing to bet some of the people on here are literally chatGPT. Take the entire YMDC sub. Or the GW rules writing team. Anyway, if you take anything, take this exhalt.
   
Made in us
Dakka Veteran




 Haighus wrote:
There are clearly a number of machine spirits that we would call an AI in the modern sense, i.e. capable of machine learning. Land Raiders and titans, for example, gain personalities over time.

However, I don't think any machine spirits are true AI, as in sentient. Even the mightest of machine spirits, like that upon the Speranza (an Ark Mechanicus) appear to be distinct from true AI. Sentience is when they cross into becoming proscribed abominable intelligence.

It may be a bit like the distinction between "smart" and "dumb" AI in the Halo series- only the former are really AIs.


Older lore had them cheat for things like titans and Land Raiders by putting in an organic (non-human) brain used as a wetware CPU so they can claim it’s not an ‘artificial’ intelligence as technically the ban only applies to pure machines.

Similar idea to servitors tbh, but more sophisticated and just the brain in an otherwise entirely mechanical ’body’.

Otherwise basically a full AI yes - just an organic one.
   
Made in us
Longtime Dakkanaut





This is an interesting discussion because just about everyone assumes that science and religion are in opposition. What if they aren't? What if the answer is "all of the above?"

GW has some fun with their usual Catholic gloss on things (which also draws from Dune) and a certain tongue-in-cheek cargo-cult references to primitives appeasing the God of the Machine (even down to "anointing" parts with blessed lubricants, etc.).

But the 40k universe is intensely spiritual, far more overtly so than our own. You literally have gods willed into existence through the collective unconscious, so why wouldn't machines likewise depend on psychic power for that extra bit of power?

Demons actually pop through holes in the warp to enter the battlefield, so why not perform exorcisms to keep gremlins out of your engine?

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2023/01/31 00:06:55


Want a better way to do fantasy/historical miniatures battles?  Try Conqueror: Fields of Victory.

Do you like Star Wars but find the prequels and sequels disappointing?  Man of Destiny is the book series for you.

My 2nd edition Warhammer 40k resource page. Check out my other stuff at https://www.ahlloyd.com 
   
Made in cn
Stealthy Space Wolves Scout





I mean, the imperium is suffering from the Dunesque-antrophic principle and has banned AI, because AI, as opposed to living beings, are ideologically not possibily to be sapien or something? In Dune that was a false flag to... I guess propel humanity above machine reliance? In 40K I guess it might just be an actual "Ghost in the Machine" situation, considering UR-025. So it can truly be a case of humanity fearing the machine would overturn their dominance. It's a constant theme in sci-fi works, to question any boundaries between the artificial and the natural.

Anyways, the point is, the above is the reason why the Imperium uses wetware, it's a way to keep A.I.s "natural" by keeping the fundamentals flesh instead of silicon. So it can well be argued that a machine spirit do exist in 40K simply because the wetware itself retains some level of awareness. They've been programmed, yes, but they are still living -- otherwise a dead mosquito brain would guide the boltgun round no better than a fried CPU. If a Landraider has a bank of human brains as its CPU like what Magi is for NERV, then perhaps there is actually a spirit, or spirits, within the machine.

And yes the Imperium is highly superstitious, their vast knowledge of advanced technology is but a shadow of what humanity wielded at the height of its power, and the "men of science" have regressed as the missing links and glaring holes within the fundamentals of scientific tools they wield now, having long been lost, makes filling those holes with the belief some omnipresent being controlling the machines a lot easier.
   
Made in gb
Decrepit Dakkanaut




UK

The Imperium used to use Men of Iron - AI warriors. Right up until they turned on humanity wholesale and humanity was forced to defend themselves.

Basically they had a full AI uprising and ever since then have decided that the AI is too vulnerable to corruption. A fact made even more apparent by the fact that the Warp and literal corruption is a thing. Human minds - servitors, cogitators and their ilk - are seen as the next best thing. A human mind behind the system (even if many are vat born for the role and never alive - many were once the living!) which helps reduce the chances for corruption or any desire to rise against the Emperor and Mankind.

A Blog in Miniature

3D Printing, hobbying and model fun! 
   
Made in us
Morally-Flexible Malleus Hearing Whispers




The Ghost in the Machine metaphor only works if there is a controlling body that makes the conscious decision to "Create" this new life form. Ala The Institute of FO4. Or the corporation that created Major Kusinagi. Point being, the AdMech do not have the capability to create AI currently, (which could be very easily retconned by Cawl) so there is no actual Ghost in the Shell scenario here.

TL;DR - Can't have "Machine spirits in the sense of semi-sentient beings inside trucks, ala AI, because the imperium in it's current state does not have the ability to create sentient AI.

Someone raised the last remaining Man of Iron, UTI-96 or something. He is a Tom Bombadil. A literal being made of "not possible" and held together with lore breaks and plot armor. If the Imperium were still capable of pre-DaoT level crafting, then sure. But he's a relic. A Data from Star Trek. An unfeeling automaton with no real reason to exist.
   
Made in cn
Stealthy Space Wolves Scout





FezzikDaBullgryn wrote:
The Ghost in the Machine metaphor only works if there is a controlling body that makes the conscious decision to "Create" this new life form. Ala The Institute of FO4. Or the corporation that created Major Kusinagi. Point being, the AdMech do not have the capability to create AI currently, (which could be very easily retconned by Cawl) so there is no actual Ghost in the Shell scenario here.

TL;DR - Can't have "Machine spirits in the sense of semi-sentient beings inside trucks, ala AI, because the imperium in it's current state does not have the ability to create sentient AI.

Someone raised the last remaining Man of Iron, UTI-96 or something. He is a Tom Bombadil. A literal being made of "not possible" and held together with lore breaks and plot armor. If the Imperium were still capable of pre-DaoT level crafting, then sure. But he's a relic. A Data from Star Trek. An unfeeling automaton with no real reason to exist.


Read again. The Ghost in the Machine is presumably the reason the Imperium's predecessor banned AI, as seen with the Blackstone Fortress man of iron being sentient. The reason Machine Spritis exists is more than likely that imperium computers are made of living brains.
   
Made in fi
Buttons Should Be Brass, Not Gold!






Machine Spirit is real, I've witnessed it several times myself

And no, I'm not even talking about 40K lore here!
   
Made in gb
Ridin' on a Snotling Pump Wagon






I think we should also consider the in-universe narratives.

Again as I’ve been ploughing through the series most recently, the Cain novels provide in-universe insight as to how they’re viewed.

Cain accepts Machine Spirits are real, and shows genuine concern that whatever shenanigans are ongoing might upset or unbalance the Machine Spirit - such as when he’s making planet fall during the first siege of Perlia. The escape pod had been shot up and abused somewhat, but Cain notes its indomitable Machine Spirit remained whole and healthy, when he had concern it might not have been working or cooperative.

This backs up “it’s just software” - but might also reflect in the construction. Chimera, Leman Russ and Rhinos are all noted as having robust Machine Spirits, which can suffer a lot of battle field abuse and keep on going. So as well as the esoteric meaning of spirit, it seems to also extend to its fighting spirit. Compare to other more technically advanced vehicles or weapons where the Machine Spirit might be considered temperamental. Is it more complex programming, or just that the more complex machinery needs more exacting maintenance than whacking it with a spanner whilst chanting the Litany Of Percussive Maintenance? And yes that is an actual litany, mentioned in a Cain short story, without annotation by Amberley, if memory serves.

   
Made in gb
Decrepit Dakkanaut




UK

Another aspect is that Machine Spirit likely has no singular definition. A simple person talking about at Machine Spirit and their understanding of it is likely different to how a marine understands a Machine Spirit and is different again to how someone from the Mechanicus would understand them.

Even within those groups, individuals and those of different rankings might well have varied understandings. Especially within the Mechanicus.


It also might not be a linear understanding either. Higher ranks of the Mechanicus might come to understand Machine Spirits closer to what they are, but then again all those years of religious-science and modifications and old age and such might well conspire to make them think of them in a far more spiritual way.


We also cannot overlook that some machines might very well end up with a soul as the 40K setting understands them. We already know that Chaos binds souls and demons into machines, so it very much can be done. Who's to say that the will of a Titan is just a tiny bit more than just the memories and essence of a former bonded pilot. Granted we know that kind of relationship can be built - the Eldar do it all the time.

A Blog in Miniature

3D Printing, hobbying and model fun! 
   
Made in us
Towering Hierophant Bio-Titan




Mexico

IMHO this is a case in which collective belief of something makes it a thing.

The IoM believes in Machine Spirits, thus Machine Spirits became a thing. It is not different to the belief in the Greater Good spawning a minor warp deity or the Ork's whole gestalt Waaagh field thing (although in the Ork's case it is much stronger).
   
Made in ro
Servoarm Flailing Magos




Germany

 lcmiracle wrote:
FezzikDaBullgryn wrote:
The Ghost in the Machine metaphor only works if there is a controlling body that makes the conscious decision to "Create" this new life form. Ala The Institute of FO4. Or the corporation that created Major Kusinagi. Point being, the AdMech do not have the capability to create AI currently, (which could be very easily retconned by Cawl) so there is no actual Ghost in the Shell scenario here.

TL;DR - Can't have "Machine spirits in the sense of semi-sentient beings inside trucks, ala AI, because the imperium in it's current state does not have the ability to create sentient AI.

Someone raised the last remaining Man of Iron, UTI-96 or something. He is a Tom Bombadil. A literal being made of "not possible" and held together with lore breaks and plot armor. If the Imperium were still capable of pre-DaoT level crafting, then sure. But he's a relic. A Data from Star Trek. An unfeeling automaton with no real reason to exist.


Read again. The Ghost in the Machine is presumably the reason the Imperium's predecessor banned AI, as seen with the Blackstone Fortress man of iron being sentient. The reason Machine Spritis exists is more than likely that imperium computers are made of living brains.


One of the heresy novels features the question of *why* AI is forbidden extensively, and one explanation they offer is that sufficiently advanced AIs are usually anti-Chaos, but rebel against humanity because given the facts of the universe, they universally and swiftly come to the conclusion that humanity has to be eradicated in order to beat Chaos.

 Overread wrote:


As for what it is, I agree with the others. Simple machines its just your simple operators manual in religious text; at the upper end its basic AI systems and at the very top some of those ancient weapon and machine are likely using full AI systems of some kind to function.
Don't forget some bits of technology aren't understood any more. They can copy some and reproduce the same effect, but they've no idea how they work. Others are a total mystery and so rare that they dare not take them apart to learn.





I think of some of the rituals are a situation like with someone's old TV remote: the letters and colours on the buttons have long since been smudged and faded, but by muscle memory and having done the common things like changing the channel, volume, opening menus etc. countless of times, the original user can still operate the TV in an almost unthinking way. But they can't just do things they never did regularly, at least not without looking it up in the manual, which may or may not be in some sort of pidgin not-english, and if they wanted to explain how to do common things with it to e.g. their children they'd skip the old name of the buttons and explaining the underlying principle, instead opting for shortcuts like 'This one jumps to the favourite channels, this one does open the menu, and if you hit that after the other, you'll go to the weather'. At some point, the manual is lost or the page that explains what the buttons are becomes unreadable, and at that point you risk permanently switching your menus to Albanian if you venture outside of the few button combinations you learned by heart. Theoretically, you could reconstruct the manual by doing a planned series of experiments to deduce what each button does, or by comparing the 'recipes' that different households know, or by acquiring more remotes of the same type where some buttons may be readable, but you only have one TV and experiments could make it unusable...

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2023/01/31 14:15:53


 
   
Made in gb
Ridin' on a Snotling Pump Wagon






Ooh. We do have another point of reference - Kin and their Votann.

I’ll come back to this.

   
Made in us
Terrifying Doombull




FezzikDaBullgryn wrote:
The Ghost in the Machine metaphor only works if there is a controlling body that makes the conscious decision to "Create" this new life form."

Er. No. Accidentally creating machine intelligence is a trope and cliche in and of itself. Conscious decisions to create 'new life forms' are not requried.

Ala The Institute of FO4.

A very poor example, because they go the opposite route, and bizarrely deny that they've created life despite being beaten over the head with the evidence repeatedly.

TL;DR - Can't have "Machine spirits in the sense of semi-sentient beings inside trucks, ala AI, because the imperium in it's current state does not have the ability to create sentient AI.

Also not true. Semi-sentient lesser intelligences aren't precluded by the lack of 'true AI'.

Though the 'of Mars' series (and Cawl) suggests that sentient AI is something they can do, they just don't (both because scripture and because its a blatantly bad idea).

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2023/01/31 14:51:29


Efficiency is the highest virtue. 
   
Made in gb
Leader of the Sept







 Overread wrote:
Another aspect is that Machine Spirit likely has no singular definition. A simple person talking about at Machine Spirit and their understanding of it is likely different to how a marine understands a Machine Spirit and is different again to how someone from the Mechanicus would understand them.

Even within those groups, individuals and those of different rankings might well have varied understandings. Especially within the Mechanicus.


It also might not be a linear understanding either. Higher ranks of the Mechanicus might come to understand Machine Spirits closer to what they are, but then again all those years of religious-science and modifications and old age and such might well conspire to make them think of them in a far more spiritual way.


We also cannot overlook that some machines might very well end up with a soul as the 40K setting understands them. We already know that Chaos binds souls and demons into machines, so it very much can be done. Who's to say that the will of a Titan is just a tiny bit more than just the memories and essence of a former bonded pilot. Granted we know that kind of relationship can be built - the Eldar do it all the time.


I agree on the no singular definition thingy.

At its most basic, people in Imperial society are required to interact with electrical and mechanical devices. Some of those devices have been in service for hundreds or thousands of years, and the users don't understand how they work. What they do know is that if they follow a series of specific actions or enter a series of specific commands, then the device does the thing they want it to do. By the way, that is an entirely different thing to the device doing what it was originally intended to do in the first place.

If they don't follow the activation steps properly, or if lack of maintenance causes the device to fail, then a simple explanation as to why it doesn't do what you expect it to do is because there is some kind of sprit that has bee angered and decided to withdraw its cooperation.

The Litany of Activation is not just a chant, its a way of recording and teaching a users guide to potentially illiterate user base. You don't just do the chant, you do the actions along with the chant, and if you do it right, the device does what you want.

A lasgun is pretty simple, so the Litany of Activation is simple. Put power pack in, turn on, point at thing you want pew pewed and pull the trigger to undertake aforesaid pewpewing.

A landraider is rather more complex, and has active sensors and targeting assistance which has a degree of self control, even if it is technically sub-sentient.

Maybe one could categorise machine spirits into passive machine spirits for simple devices, where it is simply a plainsong user manual, and active machine spirits where the device has some degree of agency.

The machine spirit for an adjustable spanner is probably not that demanding, requiring just a bit of oil occasionally and not being left in salty puddles.

The machine sprit that controls the sensors of a warship requires extensive maintenance, calibration, full rebuilds and specific controls requiring whole teams of people to do the right thing repeatedly over millennia.


Please excuse any spelling errors. I use a tablet frequently and software keyboards are a pain!

Terranwing - w3;d1;l1
51st Dunedinw2;d0;l0
Cadre Coronal Afterglow w1;d0;l0 
   
 
Forum Index » 40K Background
Go to: