I was pondering the Most Useless Machine this morning when I came to the realization that this was more than a novelty. Sadly, the machine models, at least at an emotional level, many daily social processes. Let me try this question on you: name an institution that closely resembles the Most Useless Machine?

Wait for it... wait for it...

That's it. You guessed: Congress (highlight to reveal).

There is, actually, a long history of machines that inspire philosophical models, the clock being the best example. I nominate the Most Useless Machine Ever as a candidate for further study. Could we apply it, for example, to the question of whether our own technological processes will ultimately imperil global economic systems?

Maybe our universe is someone's Most Useless Machine, kept on a coffee table to amuse friends. "Ha, ha. Look at that. It collapses back into itself at the end!"

I'll leave that for you. I've got to go remind my children, again, to clean their rooms.