His view began to expand by the help of one of his followers, Julien Offray de La Mettrie. The title did little to hide Le Mettrie's thesis. In the text, Le Mettrie expanded Descartes clock analogy to humans as well. I would like to consider the clock as biotechnology's first religious symbol, for it symbolizes the machinations of humankind. As for contemporary symbolism in biotechnology, there is a specialized treatment of symbols which exist not as objects, but as words.
Progression is a key word used in much of the pro-biotech literature.
It has, in a sense, become more than a word. The mere utterance of the word progression seems to somehow possess the resonance to justify biotech experimentation. It is a symbol for this core reason - that it has grown out of its own placement in language, enough to exist on its own and has been applied in such a way as to express justification, hope and the pursuit of wisdom. Utilizing this word in the biotech discourse promotes a feeling of well-being. If we are progressing, then we are not stagnating.