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 53
... necessary for physics can be proved by mathematics , and without them it is impossible to have an exact knowledge of things . " But in both cases , exact knowledge was identified with sufficient knowl- edge , and the truth that applied ...
... necessary for physics can be proved by mathematics , and without them it is impossible to have an exact knowledge of things . " But in both cases , exact knowledge was identified with sufficient knowl- edge , and the truth that applied ...
Page 75
... necessary , disqualified . But the game itself is played by human beings open to subjective promptings of every sort , from pride and vanity to intelectual playfulness and intense esthetic delight . Without these subjective ...
... necessary , disqualified . But the game itself is played by human beings open to subjective promptings of every sort , from pride and vanity to intelectual playfulness and intense esthetic delight . Without these subjective ...
Page 262
... necessary reliance upon mere manpower and handweapons and handtools , that even their most extravagant efforts were reparable . It is our present removal of all limits , made possible only by the advances of science and technics , that ...
... necessary reliance upon mere manpower and handweapons and handtools , that even their most extravagant efforts were reparable . It is our present removal of all limits , made possible only by the advances of science and technics , that ...
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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