The "soft machine" is a way of describing the human body. The main theme of William S. Burroughs' novel deals with how different control mechanisms invade the body.
     The Soft Machine , from 1961, is a kind of collage; explanation of the title; stories about drug abuse, considered here to be metabolic diseases (including the author's own treatment with apomorphine and how he was able to escape); a secret agent capable of changing his body, traveling through time, and freeing the Mayan slaves who are being mentally manipulated by their priests through the calendar...
     The English band Soft Machine got their name from here, and on the cover of their first LP you can also see primitive control mechanisms for this machine that each of us has.
     “If the soft machine works, don’t fix it. If it works, don’t fix it.”