So, other things being equal, it is better to spend money on doing something good for people (e.g., providing someone with a job) than it is to spend money on mere machines. (canadianbusiness.com)
It's not an outright indictment of computers in school, but it sounds a worthwhile cautionary note, making the case that teachers must never be shouldered aside by mere machines. (edutopia.org)
[50] Unless one is a follower of Rene Descartes who believed that animals were mere machines, the author takes this point as assumed. (religion-online.org)