The provided text, an excerpt from Alan Watts’ book Out of Your Mind, critiques two prevalent Western understandings of the universe: the ceramic model and the fully automatic model. The ceramic model, stemming from Genesis, posits a world created by a divine craftsman, resulting in a perception of humans as artifacts. In contrast, the fully automatic model, influenced by 18th-century Enlightenment thought, views the universe as a machine governed by predictable laws, leading to a sense of human insignificance and alienation. Watts challenges both models, advocating for a more holistic view of the universe where human beings are not separate entities but integral parts of a dynamic, interconnected whole. He ultimately argues that the universe is not merely a machine, but a process of unfolding, where human consciousness is not a product of the big bang but an expression of its ongoing energy.

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