The Myth of the Machine, Volume 1An 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 188
... collective enterprises , I shall call it the ' labor machine ' : when applied to acts of collective coercion and destruction , it deserves the title , used even today , the ' military machine . ' But when all the components , political ...
... collective enterprises , I shall call it the ' labor machine ' : when applied to acts of collective coercion and destruction , it deserves the title , used even today , the ' military machine . ' But when all the components , political ...
Page 218
... collective resistance to aggression : when the latter is absent one may speak of con- quest , enslavement , and extermination , but not war . Now the equipment , organization , and tactics of an army were not achieved overnight : one ...
... collective resistance to aggression : when the latter is absent one may speak of con- quest , enslavement , and extermination , but not war . Now the equipment , organization , and tactics of an army were not achieved overnight : one ...
Page 229
... collective outlet . And at the same time the machine itself was dependent for operation upon weak , fallible , stupid , or stubborn human members ; so that the ap- paratus was liable under stress to disintegrate . These mechanized human ...
... collective outlet . And at the same time the machine itself was dependent for operation upon weak , fallible , stupid , or stubborn human members ; so that the ap- paratus was liable under stress to disintegrate . These mechanized human ...
Contents
PROLOGUE | 3 |
THE MINDFULNESS OF MAN | 14 |
IN THE DREAMTIME LONG AGO | 48 |
Copyright | |
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abstract achieved activities agriculture ancestors ancient animal Aurignacian became beginning Benedictine Bertrand Gille brain Bushmen Çatal Hüyük cave cave paintings century cities civilization command complex consciousness cosmic creature cultivation divine domestication dream earliest economy economy of abundance effective effort Egypt Egyptian environment established esthetic evidence existence fact functions gods Homo sapiens human culture hunter hunting images institution interpretation Iron Age king kingship labor language later Leonardo London machine Magdalenian magic means megamachine ment merely mesolithic Mesopotamia military mind mode modern myth nature needed neolithic Oakes Ames observation once organization original paintings paleolithic paleolithic art pattern performed physical plants play possible practice primitive production rational religion ritual royal sacred sacrifice sexual significant social society species speech stone Sumer Sumerian survival symbolic technical thousand tion tool-making traits village watermill weapons whole words York