Mechanicism functioned as the religion of the subaltern masses

Evidence

That the mechanicist conception has been a religion of the subaltern is shown by an analysis of the development of the Christian religion. Over a certain period of history in certain specific historical conditions religion has been and continues to be a “necessity”, a necessary form taken by the will of the popular masses and a specific way of rationalising the world and real life, which provided the general framework for real practical activity. — Antonio Gramsci, Selections from the Prison Notebooks, 1209

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to Gramsci’s broader account of religion as a form of mass consciousness — useful when Islamophobia readings discuss religion as ideology and worldview.