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 24
... environment , exploring every wood , field , and riverbank around Concord , he furthered his family business ... environment cut solely to the measure of the machine . This ideology gave primacy to the denatured and dehumanized ...
... environment , exploring every wood , field , and riverbank around Concord , he furthered his family business ... environment cut solely to the measure of the machine . This ideology gave primacy to the denatured and dehumanized ...
Page 341
... environment , the infant retains an illusion of omnipotence : for he has only to cry to have his wishes fulfilled . By bawling loudly he gets an immediate response from the environment : a face reassuringly appears , a hand strokes him ...
... environment , the infant retains an illusion of omnipotence : for he has only to cry to have his wishes fulfilled . By bawling loudly he gets an immediate response from the environment : a face reassuringly appears , a hand strokes him ...
Page 380
... environment ; and even in that environment he was more aware of the edibility of plants and the activities of birds and animals than he was of purely physical manifestations of nature , except when they occurred violently , as in storms ...
... environment ; and even in that environment he was more aware of the edibility of plants and the activities of birds and animals than he was of purely physical manifestations of nature , except when they occurred violently , as in storms ...
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