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 20
world , too , more than fifteen thousand years before ; and the Bushmen had even
earlier practiced the Magdalenian art of cave painting . Apart from the differences
in climatic conditions and human stature , these people were far closer to their ...
world , too , more than fifteen thousand years before ; and the Bushmen had even
earlier practiced the Magdalenian art of cave painting . Apart from the differences
in climatic conditions and human stature , these people were far closer to their ...
Page 69
These prohibitions bear so little relation to common sense practices that one may
easily be overwhelmed , as Freud was ... As with Freud ' s dismissal of religion , it
rested on the strange assumption that a practice that did nothing whatever to ...
These prohibitions bear so little relation to common sense practices that one may
easily be overwhelmed , as Freud was ... As with Freud ' s dismissal of religion , it
rested on the strange assumption that a practice that did nothing whatever to ...
Page 110
That sort of self - injury has remained a savage practice in more than one tribe till
today . What all this ... Whether decoration or surgery was involved , none of
these practices had any direct contribution to make to physical survival . They
count ...
That sort of self - injury has remained a savage practice in more than one tribe till
today . What all this ... Whether decoration or surgery was involved , none of
these practices had any direct contribution to make to physical survival . They
count ...
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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 |