A 'biological machine' can be understood as a conceptual framework that treats living organisms, particularly humans, as intricate assemblies of biochemical processes and mechanical functions, imbued with a kind of functional determinism. This perspective emphasizes the systematic, almost clockwork nature of biological actions and reactions, governed by the laws of physics and chemistry, akin to an engineered apparatus. Such a view often prioritizes a mechanistic and reductionist interpretation of life, wherein the myriad expressions of an organism's existence—its thoughts, emotions, and behaviors—are seen as manifest outcomes of underlying material processes and structural configurations. While biologically accurate, this outlook can sometimes neglect the richer, more subtle dimensions of lived experience, thus risking the marginalization of the ineffable qualities that imbue sentient life with meaning and profundity.

See also: consciousness, life force, physical body, medical model, true nature