The Myth of the Machine: The pentagon of powerHarcourt, Brace & World, 1970 - Technology and civilization An in-depth look at the forces that have shaped modern technology since prehistoric times. Mumford criticizes the modern trend of technology, which emphasizes constant, unrestricted expansion, production, and replacement. He contends that these goals work against technical perfection, durability, social efficiency, and overall human satisfaction. Modern technology fails to produce lasting, quality products by using devices such as consumer credit, installment buying, non-functioning and defective designs, built-in fragility, and frequent superficial "fashion" changes. "Without constant enticement by advertising," he writes, "production would slow down and level off to normal replacement demand. Otherwise many products could reach a plateau of efficient design which would call for only minimal changes from year to year." |
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Page 72
... Norbert Wiener even feared this might happen in a not - too - distant future with computers : a point the scenario of the film ' 2001 ' followed up when its infallible space- ship computer , on being crossed , became hostile to its ...
... Norbert Wiener even feared this might happen in a not - too - distant future with computers : a point the scenario of the film ' 2001 ' followed up when its infallible space- ship computer , on being crossed , became hostile to its ...
Page 125
... Norbert Wiener came increasingly to endow his Golem with the ultimate properties of life . But , second , beneath this magic wish was a more insidiously flattering idea : he who creates life is a God . Hence the very idea of a creative ...
... Norbert Wiener came increasingly to endow his Golem with the ultimate properties of life . But , second , beneath this magic wish was a more insidiously flattering idea : he who creates life is a God . Hence the very idea of a creative ...
Page 189
... Norbert Wiener ; and probably no one else contributed more to the early development of this series of inventions . Wiener helped endow the computer with some of the specialized attributes of human intelligence , including the capacity ...
... Norbert Wiener ; and probably no one else contributed more to the early development of this series of inventions . Wiener helped endow the computer with some of the specialized attributes of human intelligence , including the capacity ...
Contents
NEW EXPLORATIONS NEW WORLDS | 3 |
RETURN OF THE SUN GOD | 28 |
THE MECHANIZED WORLD PICTURE | 51 |
Copyright | |
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absolute abstract achieved activities actually already ancient atom automatic automation Bacon become biological Christian civilization Comenius communication contemporary cosmic culture demands Descartes destruction dream economy economy of abundance effect electronic energy environment established evolution existence experience exploration extermination fact fantasies final forces Francis Bacon functions further future Galileo habitat Henry Adams idea ideological immense increase industrial institutions intelligence invention Kepler knowledge labor limited machine man's mass production mechanical world picture megamachine megatechnics ment merely method military mind mode modern moral nature nineteenth century noösphere Norbert Wiener nuclear observed once original Patrick Geddes physical planet plenitude political absolutism population possible potentialities power complex power system practical present progress purpose Pyramid Age quantity reality result scientific scientists social society space subjective symbolic technical Technics and Civilization technocratic tion totalitarian transformation turn ultimate utopia whole York