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 111
... invention of invention . " Purely theoretic and experimental discoveries repeatedly sug- gest outlets and applications that could not even have been conceived until the scientific work itself was done . In the past , certain branches of ...
... invention of invention . " Purely theoretic and experimental discoveries repeatedly sug- gest outlets and applications that could not even have been conceived until the scientific work itself was done . In the past , certain branches of ...
Page 161
... invention of writing , has ever been at the disposal of a single mind : even an Aristotle , an Ibn Khaldun , or a Thomas Aquinas must necessarily have left out large tracts of human experience . Despite his wide range of interests ...
... invention of writing , has ever been at the disposal of a single mind : even an Aristotle , an Ibn Khaldun , or a Thomas Aquinas must necessarily have left out large tracts of human experience . Despite his wide range of interests ...
Page 223
... invention , society heretofore was secured by a heavy crust of habit , custom and traditional wisdom , supplemented by natural mental sluggishness . The probing and testing of an invention gave time , not only to overcome its internal ...
... invention , society heretofore was secured by a heavy crust of habit , custom and traditional wisdom , supplemented by natural mental sluggishness . The probing and testing of an invention gave time , not only to overcome its internal ...
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