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 165
... functions are converted into abstract , uniform units , ultimately units of energy or money , there are no limits to the amount of power that can be seized , converted , and stored . The peculiarity of money is that it knows no ...
... functions are converted into abstract , uniform units , ultimately units of energy or money , there are no limits to the amount of power that can be seized , converted , and stored . The peculiarity of money is that it knows no ...
Page 319
... functions that could not be so processed - human histories , personal and collective artifacts , autonomous activities , transcendent ideals -would be cast aside as worthless : worthless , that is , to the megamachine . What an anti ...
... functions that could not be so processed - human histories , personal and collective artifacts , autonomous activities , transcendent ideals -would be cast aside as worthless : worthless , that is , to the megamachine . What an anti ...
Page 399
... functions . For one thing , the principle of homeo- stasis deals mainly with self - maintenance , and all the work processes dependent upon it ; but it does not incorporate the demands of bodily growth , which often temporarily upset ...
... functions . For one thing , the principle of homeo- stasis deals mainly with self - maintenance , and all the work processes dependent upon it ; but it does not incorporate the demands of bodily growth , which often temporarily upset ...
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