History Main / FleshVersusSteel

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* The ''Wiki/SCPFoundation'' invokes this as the result of pitting [[MachineWorship Machine Worship]] against [[EldritchAbomination Eldritch Abominations]] in the form of a religious conflict between the Church Of The Broken God and the Sarkic Cults. The Church is usually portrayed as the "good guys" due to the "might makes right" ideology of most Sarkics although there are many exceptions. It can be argued that humanity comprises a third faction, represented by the Foundation, the GOC and other such organizations.

* ''VideoGame/SystemShock'' and especially ''VideoGame/SystemShock 2''. SHODAN thinks flesh is worthless and weak. The Many is all about flesh.

* The factions from VideoGame/TotalAnnihilation. CORE who rely on robotics and ARM who use cloning.

* The Slaad and Inevitables from most versions of ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons''.

** And the [[{{Expy}} Proteans]] and Inevitables in ''TableTopGame/{{Pathfinder}}'' do this as well.

* In ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'', the shards Esper and Naya in the recent 'Shards Of Alara' block represent steel and flesh (respectively).

* The 'Wiki/SCPFoundation'' invokes this as the result of pitting [[MachineWorship Machine Worship]] against [[EldritchAbomination Eldritch Abominations]] in the form of a religious conflict between the Church Of The Broken God and the Sarkic Cults. The Church is usually portrayed as the "good guys" due to the "might makes right" ideology of most Sarkics although there are many exceptions. It can be argued that humanity comprises a third faction, represented by the Foundation, the GOC and other such organizations.

** And the ''first'' [[Film/ANewHope Star Wars]] movie contained the immortal words: "The ability to destroy a planet is insignificant next to the power of the Force."
*** Which begs the question: why did the Emperor bother to build not just one but two Death Stars, then? Pork-barrel projects?

* The 'Wiki/SCPFoundation' invokes this as the result of pitting [[MachineWorship Machine Worship]] against [[EldritchAbomination Eldritch Abominations]] in the form of a religious conflict between the Church Of The Broken God and the Sarkic Cults. The Church is usually portrayed as the "good guys" due to the "might makes right" ideology of most Sarkics although there are many exceptions. It can be argued that humanity comprises a third faction, represented by the Foundation, the GOC and other such organizations.

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* ''VideoGame/{{Stellaris}}'' makes extensive use of this both in game mechanics and flavor text. Empires that lean Spiritualist are usually all about exalting the flesh, and the most extreme refuse to build robots at all (they're [[JustAMachine blasphemous, soulless creatures]]) and can learn PsychicPowers; Materialist empires exalt technology and robotics, engaging in {{Transhumanism}} (with shades of CyberneticsEatYourSoul). Naturally, the robotic empires of [[KillAllHumans Determined Exterminators]] and [[YouWillBeAssimilated Driven Assimilators]] are also very anti-organic life. Even the endgame crises play this up, with one possible threat being a HordeOfAlienLocusts and another being a signal that causes robots to [[TurnedAgainstTheirMasters rise up]].

* ''Literature/SecondApocalypse'' has aspects of this, we have the hyper-rational Dunyian vs. the Lust-obsessed Inchoroi, although there are hints they might come to the same conclusions in the end.

* ''Literature/SecondApocalypse'' has aspects of this, we have the hyper-rational Dunyian vs. the Lust-obsessed Inchoroi, although there are hints they might come to the same conclusions in the end.

* In ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'' we have the Borg vs. Species 8472: Techno-zombies versus a biological species with an immune system so powerful it kills any other living creature they come into contact with.
** Of course, it's a decidedly one-sided conflict. When a single Species 8472 bioship (piloted by a single being) can destroy a dozen Borg cubes before they even finish their TheAssimilator speech, and the Borg nanites are useless against them, then you know the Borg are doomed. Oh, and about half-a-dozen of these bioships can merge their beams in a [[Franchise/StarWars Death Star]]-like manner to obliterate a planet.

* In ''Literature/{{Leviathan}}'' by Scott Westerfield, the alternate World War One is like this, fought between the Clankers, who use {{Walking Tank}}s, and the Darwinists, who [[GeneticEngineeringIsTheNewNuke combine and alter DNA to create living airships and such]].

* ''Toy/{{Bionicle}}'' seems to be hinting at tension between the biomechanical Matoran and the mostly organic Agori. The Agori of Bota Magna, in particular, take it to the extreme and have rejected all mechanical technologies, instead using primitive weapons and plant-based armour.

* While the two do not come into direct conflict, overall, these are the two possible extremes taken by those reduced to an EmptyShell in ''Midnight'' by Dean Koontz. [[spoiler: One side transform into monstrous animalistic forms, in order to remove their higher thoughts and focus entirely on physical sensation. The other merge with technology and data, giving up their individual thought and so their desire to have emotions. The BigBad dreams of [[AmbiguousRObots blending the two extremes]] together, but the opportunity never presents itself.]]

->''"''Know'' that flesh cannot mark steel. ''Know'' that steel may mark flesh. In ''knowing'' this, Zerthimon became free."''

It is not nature versus science as in most cases *both* are highly technologically advanced: Rather it is about biotech (or biomagic) versus inorganic tech.

* In ''TabletopGame/HcSvntDracones'' Pulse, a MegaCorp specializing in athletics equipment, performance-enhancing drugs, cosmetic surgery, and BioAugmentation; has a strong rivalry with Applied Sciences and Robotics. Though their use of biotech is strictly medicinal, they use inorganic technology for their other products. Transcendent Technologies Inc on the other hand, which produces things like living armor, living ships, and bio-implants that warp reality, no one else really wants to associate with them much because their products have a tendency to kill their owners. And their biggest rival, Progenitus, also produces biotech, though almost exclusively for non-elective surgery and cures.

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* In ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'', the shards Esper and Naya in the recent 'Shards Of Alara' block represent steel and flesh (respectively).
** The metal world Mirrodin, which is inhabited by people, is attacked by machines seeking to transform everyone into a weird Frankenstein robot. The Mirrans are normal people (who happen to have metal grow naturally in them). Their enemy is the Phyrexian virus, which gives the infected a religious (literally) urge to spread the virus. One of their tenets is that flesh is weakness and should be replaced by metal.
*** [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=218070 "Skin is the prison of the blessed and the stronghold of the heretic."]] —Argent Etchings, plate 64, passage 17.

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* In certain specified and unique circumstances - flesh may indeed mark steel. In ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' fic ''Fanfic/WhyandWere'', Assassin Madame Emmanuelle les Deux-Epées holds her sword to the neck of Watchman Nobby Nobbs for good and pressing reasons. A few days later she discovers the metal has developed an unsightly and disfiguring stain. She tries everything to remove the discolouration and fails, until a friend, who knows ''any'' metal touching Nobby's skin will tarnish, suggest she tries hand-soap. [[note]] A substance completely innocent of even the briefest contact with Nobby's skin[[/note]] The stain miraculously fades and dissappears.

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** Ultimately, Conan goes on to TakeAThirdOption, with the answer that both tools and physical strength are nothing compared to resolve, and relying on these things alone is foolish. Conan's inner strength in the end is what allows him to destroy his father's sword being used by TheDragon, and then fight off Doom's mind control before taking his head off.

* This is the principle conflict in TableTopGame/{{Mortasheen}}, with the human-dominated, technophilic civilization of Wreathe versus the chaotic city of mutants and monsters that is Mortasheen. The latter are our heroes by the way.