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 150
... military preoccupations rather than those of the current industrial arts , with their cut - and - try methods ; and this influence was so universal that the roles of the military , the civil , and the mechanical engineer were at first ...
... military preoccupations rather than those of the current industrial arts , with their cut - and - try methods ; and this influence was so universal that the roles of the military , the civil , and the mechanical engineer were at first ...
Page 252
... military domination , this de- moralized method has repeatedly proved costly and futile . Even when deployed against whole cities , not military targets , official inquiry revealed that only twenty per cent of the bombs dropped during ...
... military domination , this de- moralized method has repeatedly proved costly and futile . Even when deployed against whole cities , not military targets , official inquiry revealed that only twenty per cent of the bombs dropped during ...
Page 485
... military use for , 259 ; modernization of , 246 ; nature of , 240 ; new components of , 274 ; properties of , 241 ; reassemblage of , 244 ; Russian , 246-248 , 256-257 , 270 , 271 , 272 , 308 ; scientific contribu- tion to , 248 ...
... military use for , 259 ; modernization of , 246 ; nature of , 240 ; new components of , 274 ; properties of , 241 ; reassemblage of , 244 ; Russian , 246-248 , 256-257 , 270 , 271 , 272 , 308 ; scientific contribu- tion to , 248 ...
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