Without a mechanistic view of things, predestination is impossible. So without God, Calvinism gives us a sense of the universe as a great machine.
Other cultures may see the universe as a great mountain or a great tree.....
Other cultures may see the universe as a great mountain or a great tree.....
It's also worth noting that both Thomas Hobbes and JJ Rousseau came from Calvinist circles. So I don't think it is an exaggeration to say that the Hobbes/Rousseau (and those closely influenced by them, such as those of Locke) are effectively Calvinism as applied to society and clothed in secular rhetoric.