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Q: Latin ( Answered 4 out of 5 stars,   2 Comments )
Question  
Subject: Latin
Category: Reference, Education and News > General Reference
Asked by: groovbird-ga
List Price: $5.00
Posted: 22 Feb 2003 01:50 PST
Expires: 24 Mar 2003 01:50 PST
Question ID: 165527
What does the latin phrase "deus ex machina" exactly mean?
Answer  
Subject: Re: Latin
Answered By: easterangel-ga on 22 Feb 2003 01:59 PST
Rated:4 out of 5 stars
 
Hi! Thanks for the question.

I have found the resources which explains this latin phrase.

"Deus ex machina, 'God from the machine.', In the end, all things are
settled."

"Latin Phrases and their Applied Meanings"
http://yeago.net/apercu/resources/latin_phrases.html

"The Latin phrase deus ex machina, literally "god from a machine",
referred originally to the practice in classical Greek and Roman
theater of lowering a god to the stage, usually on a crane, at the
climactic moment to dispense godly wisdom and order to the messy
mortal actors beneath. The deus ex machina was also much in favor
during the Baroque period in Europe. In modern times, the phrase
refers to the unexpected appearance of a character who provides an
unlikely resolution to a problem."

"Elodie Lauten:The Deus Ex Machina Cycle"
http://www.echonyc.com/~jhhl/Lauten/perf_dxm.html

Search terms used:           
"deus ex machina" "latin phrase"
      
I hope these links would help you in your research. Before rating this
answer, please ask for a clarification if you have a question or if 
you would need further information. 
          
Thanks for visiting us.          
          
Regards,          
Easterangel-ga          
Google Answers Researcher
groovbird-ga rated this answer:4 out of 5 stars

Comments  
Subject: Re: Latin
From: voila-ga on 22 Feb 2003 09:11 PST
 
Here, also, is Gilbert Rule's philosophical interpretation of the
phrase:

"Rule argued that the mind is not a non-physical substance residing in
the body, "a ghost in a machine," but a set of capacities and
abilities belonging to the body. The "ghost in the machine" is a
derogatory term coined by Ryle to abuse Dualism - the theory that
human beings are comprised of a tangible body and an intangible mind.
It is the notion that a person is an ethereal soul that inhabits a
physical body. The mind/soul continues after death, enjoying or
suffering a conscious existence, just minus a body that can interact
with the material world in space and time."

http://academic.cuesta.cc.ca.us/mstevens/ghost_in_the_machine.htm
http://www.word-detective.com/back-y.html
Subject: Re: Latin
From: voila-ga on 22 Feb 2003 09:14 PST
 
oops, typo..make that Ryle.  {note to seLf...never type before noon}

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