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 89
... purpose the clock once existed . Under these circumstances , who would dare to suggest that anyone who knew only the separate parts would be able to put the parts together again , or understand how they worked , and above all what purpose ...
... purpose the clock once existed . Under these circumstances , who would dare to suggest that anyone who knew only the separate parts would be able to put the parts together again , or understand how they worked , and above all what purpose ...
Page 90
... purpose of telling time is what alone accounts for this lengthy sequence of inventions and improvements ; and likewise for the specific characteristics of each part of the time - keeping mechanism . Though at no point does this purpose ...
... purpose of telling time is what alone accounts for this lengthy sequence of inventions and improvements ; and likewise for the specific characteristics of each part of the time - keeping mechanism . Though at no point does this purpose ...
Page 189
... purposes and values , memories and feelings , see no human deficiency in their seemingly superhuman machine , or in ... purpose which we really desire and not merely a colorful imitation of it . " The individual scientist must work as a ...
... purposes and values , memories and feelings , see no human deficiency in their seemingly superhuman machine , or in ... purpose which we really desire and not merely a colorful imitation of it . " The individual scientist must work as a ...
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