The term Thinking Machines referred to both actual beings and a general concept, both of which had a profound impact on the development of humanity over the span of many millennia.
Conceptual Thinking Machines
Following the rise of the actual thinking machines, and the physical and psychological damage they inflicted on the free humans, the very concept of a sentient machine became abhorrent to humanity and they were obliterated by the Butlerian Jihad.
Animosity against seemingly intelligent machines often escalated into outright hysteria, and resulted in a widespread hatred of mechanical objects. This hatred lasted through the ages thanks to rigid cultural restrictions, a good example of which was the Orange Catholic Bible's supreme commandment: Thou shalt not make a machine in the likeness of a human mind.