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 62
The original purpose of ritual was to create order and meaning where none
existed ; to affirm them when they had been achieved ; to restore them when they
were lost . What an old - fashioned rationalist would regard as ' meaningless
ritual ...
The original purpose of ritual was to create order and meaning where none
existed ; to affirm them when they had been achieved ; to restore them when they
were lost . What an old - fashioned rationalist would regard as ' meaningless
ritual ...
Page 91
No one else has better described the original feat of language or has given a
more adequate reason for the fact that the rational uses of language were so long
delayed , and its application to numbering , sorting , ordering , defining , exactly ...
No one else has better described the original feat of language or has given a
more adequate reason for the fact that the rational uses of language were so long
delayed , and its application to numbering , sorting , ordering , defining , exactly ...
Page 106
Such a life would help account for early man ' s opportunity , if my original
hypothesis is sound , for giving so much of his attention to ritual and language . “
Historical tradition , ” the philosopher Whitehead observed , “ is handed down by
the ...
Such a life would help account for early man ' s opportunity , if my original
hypothesis is sound , for giving so much of his attention to ritual and language . “
Historical tradition , ” the philosopher Whitehead observed , “ is handed down by
the ...
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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 |