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 48
Was it perhaps rather on the queer things he found passing through his mind ?
He is the one creature whose external activities , we once more begin to see ,
cannot be fully accounted for without reference to a most peculiar kind of inner ...
Was it perhaps rather on the queer things he found passing through his mind ?
He is the one creature whose external activities , we once more begin to see ,
cannot be fully accounted for without reference to a most peculiar kind of inner ...
Page 89
We can now perhaps understand why one of the greatest and most influential of
moralists , Confucius , relied upon two instruments for reestablishing the social
order of his time on a sound footing . One was the restoration of the ancient
rituals ...
We can now perhaps understand why one of the greatest and most influential of
moralists , Confucius , relied upon two instruments for reestablishing the social
order of his time on a sound footing . One was the restoration of the ancient
rituals ...
Page 103
But plainly , this kind of observation , which goes likewise into primitive medicine ,
is of the same order that makes science possible ; and to explain all that followed
one must perhaps assign an even longer period to its acquisition than to ...
But plainly , this kind of observation , which goes likewise into primitive medicine ,
is of the same order that makes science possible ; and to explain all that followed
one must perhaps assign an even longer period to its acquisition than to ...
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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 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 sense 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 |
| Length | 342 pages |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |