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." |
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Page 255
And eventually that result was brought about , after the sixteenth century , by the '
invention of invention , which gave to the machine the primacy that had once
belonged to the craftsman - artist , and which reduced the personality to just
those ...
And eventually that result was brought about , after the sixteenth century , by the '
invention of invention , which gave to the machine the primacy that had once
belonged to the craftsman - artist , and which reduced the personality to just
those ...
Page 271
Even in backward mining communities , as late as the sixteenth century more
than half the recorded days were holidays ; while for Europe as a whole , the total
number of holidays , including Sunday , came to 189 , a number even greater
than ...
Even in backward mining communities , as late as the sixteenth century more
than half the recorded days were holidays ; while for Europe as a whole , the total
number of holidays , including Sunday , came to 189 , a number even greater
than ...
Page 286
The mechanical clock dates from the fourteenth century , though parts of the
mechanism , and the process of time - measurement itself had come in with the
earlier water - clock and the astronomical armillary , which followed the
movement of ...
The mechanical clock dates from the fourteenth century , though parts of the
mechanism , and the process of time - measurement itself had come in with the
earlier water - clock and the astronomical armillary , which followed the
movement 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 |