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 302
... nuclear reactor and the commonplace practical result calls attention to a similar disproportion between the incalculable disintegrating power of absolute weapons and the trivial military results . Twenty years after the first atom bomb ...
... nuclear reactor and the commonplace practical result calls attention to a similar disproportion between the incalculable disintegrating power of absolute weapons and the trivial military results . Twenty years after the first atom bomb ...
Page 303
... nuclear pyramid may turn out to be not nuclear weapons themselves or some irretrievable act of extermination that they may bring about . Some- thing even worse may be in store , and should it go far enough , be equally irretrievable ...
... nuclear pyramid may turn out to be not nuclear weapons themselves or some irretrievable act of extermination that they may bring about . Some- thing even worse may be in store , and should it go far enough , be equally irretrievable ...
Page 487
... Nuclear absolutism , 254 Nuclear Age , parallel of , with Pyramid Age , 257 Nuclear bombs , 75 ; damage done by , 362 Nuclear catastrophe , youth's anticipation of , 372 Nuclear destruction , nightmare antici- pations of , 234 ...
... Nuclear absolutism , 254 Nuclear Age , parallel of , with Pyramid Age , 257 Nuclear bombs , 75 ; damage done by , 362 Nuclear catastrophe , youth's anticipation of , 372 Nuclear destruction , nightmare antici- pations of , 234 ...
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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