The Myth of the Machine: Technics and human developmentAn 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." |
From inside the book
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Page 290
... was skilled in making great bronze castings , as if to establish his own place
among his ancient peers . With a sense of history later engineers lost , he
ransacked the annals of antiquity for suggestive hints from Greek or Persian
engineers .
... was skilled in making great bronze castings , as if to establish his own place
among his ancient peers . With a sense of history later engineers lost , he
ransacked the annals of antiquity for suggestive hints from Greek or Persian
engineers .
Page 304
A summation of their ten - volume series on human origins Forbes , R . J . Studies
in Ancient Technology . 5 vols . Leiden : 1955 . Valuable monographs in areas
where much new material — such as the early use a horseshoes , 2nd century B
...
A summation of their ten - volume series on human origins Forbes , R . J . Studies
in Ancient Technology . 5 vols . Leiden : 1955 . Valuable monographs in areas
where much new material — such as the early use a horseshoes , 2nd century B
...
Page 307
Myth , Ritual , and Kingship : Essays on the Theory and Practice of Kingship in
the Ancient Near East and in Israel . Oxford : 1958 . Useful as counterpoise to
Frankfort ' s overemphasis of differences between ancient cultures and his
neglect of ...
Myth , Ritual , and Kingship : Essays on the Theory and Practice of Kingship in
the Ancient Near East and in Israel . Oxford : 1958 . Useful as counterpoise to
Frankfort ' s overemphasis of differences between ancient cultures and his
neglect of ...
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Contents
PROLOGUE | 3 |
THE MINDFULNESS OF MAN | 14 |
IN THE DREAMTIME LONG AGO | 48 |
Copyright | |
11 other sections not shown
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Common terms and phrases
achieved activities advances ancient animal association became become beginning body brain called cave century cities civilization collective command complex continued culture divine domestication dream earlier earliest early economy effective effort environment equally established evidence existence experience expression fact forces functions further give hand human hunting important improvement increase institution interpretation invention kind king kingship knowledge labor language later least less limited living machine magic man's material means mechanical megamachine merely military mind myth nature necessary neolithic never noted observation once operations organization original paleolithic performed perhaps period personality physical plants play possible practice present primitive production reason recorded remained ritual seems sexual significant social society speech stone symbolic technical thousand tion took turn village whole York
Bibliographic information
| Title | The Myth of the Machine: Technics and human development Harvest book Volume 1 of The Myth of the Machine, Lewis Mumford The Myth of the Machine; Technics and Human Development, Lewis Mumford |
| Author | Lewis Mumford |
| Publisher | Harcourt, Brace & World, 1967 |
| Original from | the University of Michigan |
| Digitized | 2 Jun 2008 |
| ISBN | 0151639736, 9780151639731 |
| Length | 342 pages |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |