deus ex machina—an improbable person or event that provides a sudden and unexpected solution to a difficulty:
- When the impoverished hero is relieved by an unexpected inheritance, it is often called a deus ex machina.
ghost in the machine—is used to denote the view of the human mind as being completely independent of the physical body:
- So there is nothing magical about human brains—no ghost in the machine, to use Ryle’s phrase.