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 248
... invention . Though I have stressed the three key Greek inventions , because they have been under - rated , I must add various others derived from them , such as the auger , the pulley , the winch , and the screw - press for mechanically ...
... invention . Though I have stressed the three key Greek inventions , because they have been under - rated , I must add various others derived from them , such as the auger , the pulley , the winch , and the screw - press for mechanically ...
Page 250
... invention widened out at an early period . The dovetail joint , for example , was an old Egyptian invention that kept sliding drawers - themselves another useful invention - from falling apart . The wicker chair , in form like the ...
... invention widened out at an early period . The dovetail joint , for example , was an old Egyptian invention that kept sliding drawers - themselves another useful invention - from falling apart . The wicker chair , in form like the ...
Page 254
... inventions as the instruments that played them . Even the most cursory historic survey of the arts reveals a fertility of invention in design unsurpassed by any utilitarian equivalent in engineering until the nineteenth century ; and ...
... inventions as the instruments that played them . Even the most cursory historic survey of the arts reveals a fertility of invention in design unsurpassed by any utilitarian equivalent in engineering until the nineteenth century ; and ...
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