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 25
... beginning with the most influential , that of Salerno . Apart from the direct experience of the organism that physicians necessarily have , the desire for knowledge of nature largely took the form of a series of questions , put almost ...
... beginning with the most influential , that of Salerno . Apart from the direct experience of the organism that physicians necessarily have , the desire for knowledge of nature largely took the form of a series of questions , put almost ...
Page 78
... beginning in the development of science , as earlier with magic ; and these concerns come out even in the austere statements of Descartes . " I perceived it to be possible , " he observed , " to arrive at knowl- edge highly useful in ...
... beginning in the development of science , as earlier with magic ; and these concerns come out even in the austere statements of Descartes . " I perceived it to be possible , " he observed , " to arrive at knowl- edge highly useful in ...
Page 90
... beginning . The fact that each element in the periodic table has definite characteristics that establish its identity and define its range of associations and organizations indicates that ' speciation ' exists even in pre - organic ...
... beginning . The fact that each element in the periodic table has definite characteristics that establish its identity and define its range of associations and organizations indicates that ' speciation ' exists even in pre - organic ...
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 noƶsphere 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