Mechanistic view of nature

Japanese: 機械論的自然観 - きかいろんてきしぜんかん

...In other words, nature is objectified as an entity independent of humans, and this pure other is quantitatively analyzed by applying various external operations, and laws are established to understand and utilize it. In this way, human elements such as color and smell, as well as "secondary qualities" and "purposefulness" are banished from nature, and nature is broken down into its own elements such as "size," "shape," and "motion," and analyzed causally and mathematically, resulting in the establishment of the modern mechanistic view of nature (machinery). It was Descartes who carried this out thoroughly. ...

From [Western Philosophy]

…
[Philosophy and Anti-Philosophy]
Thus, the basic concepts that have supported traditional Western philosophy have, without exception, been formed within the framework of the metaphysical way of thinking that began with Plato. This metaphysics made it possible to view nature as simply inorganic matter, and it was only on this basis that a mechanistic view of nature (machinery) was established. Needless to say, without this mechanistic view of nature, modern scientific knowledge and technology would not have been possible.

From [Physics]

…Many natural scientists from the late Renaissance to the early modern period addressed these two issues, including the work of Kepler, Galileo, Descartes, and Newton.
[Establishment of a mechanistic view of nature]
Let me list some important issues that have emerged in the modern context. The first is the collapse of the distinction between the celestial and sublunary worlds.

*Some of the terminology explanations that refer to the "mechanistic view of nature" are listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

Japanese:

…すなわち自然を人間とは独立無縁な対立者としてこれを客観化し，この純粋な他者を，外からさまざまな操作を加えて量的に分析し，そこに〈法則〉を確立して，これを把握し利用しようとするのである。そこには自然から人間的要素としての色やにおいなどの〈第二性質〉や〈目的意識〉などが追放され，もっぱらこれを〈大きさ〉〈形〉〈運動〉などの自然自身の要素に分解して因果的，数学的に解析していく近代の機械論的自然観(機械論)が成立することになる。これを徹底的に遂行したのがデカルトである。…

【西洋哲学】より

…
【哲学と反哲学】
　このように伝統的な西洋哲学を支えてきた基本的概念群は例外なく，プラトンにはじまる形而上学的思考様式の枠組みのなかで形成されてきたものである。この形而上学のもとで自然を単なる無機的物質と見る自然観が可能となり，その上に立ってはじめて機械論的自然観(機械論)も成立したのである。言うまでもなく，この機械論的自然観なくしては近代の科学知や科学技術も成立しえなかったであろう。…