Nathaniel Hawthorne referred to the movement towards a more technologized world as the mechanical age. In Hawthorne’s eyes, this mechanical age centralized around the clock tower and the running of the world in accordance to a timetable. Even in the present world, the clock continues to transform and manifest into a more modern form to fit into a modern society. Clive Thompson offers readers a positive outlook on the relationship between computers and humans. Martin Scorsese depicts the story of a boy utilizing the machines to create further human connections in his world. Hawthorne illustrates how the world revolves around time by showing the creation of the beautiful mechanical butterfly. Finally, Charlie Chaplin’s Modern Times presents factory life and the assembly line as a dehumanizing force in technological advancement. Through these authors’ texts, as well as the opinions of the Valparaiso University student body, readers are able to determine both the positive and negative outlooks on the mechanical age and how it has affected our world over time.

1. Smarter Than You Think
2. Hugo
3. The Artist of The Beautiful
4. Modern Times
5. Lasting Impacts of The Mechanical Age