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 20
... forces that would , in the end , succumb to the scientific method , anything like the larger conscious- ness of cosmic forces that is associated with religion , was treated as negligible . That early man may have scanned the sky , and ...
... forces that would , in the end , succumb to the scientific method , anything like the larger conscious- ness of cosmic forces that is associated with religion , was treated as negligible . That early man may have scanned the sky , and ...
Page 119
... forces that man would make the necessary efforts and sacrifices for esthetic per- fection . With these associated acts of dance , ritual , and graphic motion we perhaps have a clue to the mysterious macaroni - like tracings on the walls ...
... forces that man would make the necessary efforts and sacrifices for esthetic per- fection . With these associated acts of dance , ritual , and graphic motion we perhaps have a clue to the mysterious macaroni - like tracings on the walls ...
Page 190
... forces , a new dynamism came into play , which overcame by the sheer impetus of its achievements the sluggish ... force of kingship was weakened , whether by death or defeat in battle , by skepticism or by a vengeful uprising , the whole ...
... forces , a new dynamism came into play , which overcame by the sheer impetus of its achievements the sluggish ... force of kingship was weakened , whether by death or defeat in battle , by skepticism or by a vengeful uprising , the whole ...
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