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 37
... direct in- fluence of the Sun God into a single system of power and organization : represented in diagrammatic form by the depersonalized mechanical world picture . That diagram , so widely applied in technics - and so usefully ...
... direct in- fluence of the Sun God into a single system of power and organization : represented in diagrammatic form by the depersonalized mechanical world picture . That diagram , so widely applied in technics - and so usefully ...
Page 111
... direct stimuli , though it may very well be that they are indirect responses organically connected with the needs and pur- poses of our society at a hundred different points . Quite possibly it was not by accident that the electronics ...
... direct stimuli , though it may very well be that they are indirect responses organically connected with the needs and pur- poses of our society at a hundred different points . Quite possibly it was not by accident that the electronics ...
Page 180
... direct interference in military battles on the Russian front , by direct contact with even lower field officers , demonstrated one of the inherent disadvantages of remote control : misguided interference . But the basic weakness of ...
... direct interference in military battles on the Russian front , by direct contact with even lower field officers , demonstrated one of the inherent disadvantages of remote control : misguided interference . But the basic weakness of ...
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absolute abstract achieved activities actually already ancient atom automatic automation Bacon become biological Christian civilization Comenius contemporary cosmic culture Descartes destruction dream economy economy of abundance effect effort electronic energy environment established evolution existence experience exploration extermination fact fantasies final forces Francis Bacon functions further future Galileo habitat Henry Adams idea ideology 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 myth nature nineteenth century noƶsphere Norbert Wiener nuclear observed once original Patrick Geddes physical planet plenitude political absolutism 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