Relationship Between Man and Machine in Lewis Mumford’s Technics and Civilization

1616 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Relationship between technology and society

Relationship Between Man and Machine in Lewis Mumford’s Technics and Civilization

Lewis Mumford’s Technics and Civilization is both a chronicle and a critique of

the development of technology alongside society. Mumford sees the development of

modern technology as having occurred in three distinct phases—greatly oversimplifying,

one could say that the phases represent the shift from “wood and water” to “coal and

iron” and finally to “alloy and electricity”. The work is also intensely concerned with the relationship between war and technology. Though the book was written in 1934, its

insights transcend the decades and are surprisingly applicable today.

An issue concerning us right now, Mumford talks at length about the influences of

war on technological advancement, in fact, "at every stage in its modern development it

was war rather than industry and trade that showed in complete outline the main

features that characterize the machine." [1] We may be inclined to say that warfare,

rather than necessity, is the mother of invention. The large majority of new discoveries

and inventions aren't discovered by quirky inventors in their basement labs. Instead, we

have research and development teams working in large corporations with grants from

the US Military. It is somewhat unsettling to think that many of our brightest minds are

hired to further their fields under the watchful direction of our military.

Of course, many inventions developed by the military make their way into civilian

life arguably completely separated from its intended martial use. The most obvious

example comes from ARPA (Advanced Research Projects Agency); the Internet. The

Department of Defense was very interested in develop...

... middle of paper ...

... backed up with specific

examples, and we often found ourselves in awe of his ability to collect, analyze, and

interpret so many obscure moments in history. It’s an excellent collection of insights into

the intimate relationship between man and machine.

Works Cited

1. Mumford, Lewis, Technics and Civilization, Harbinger, 1934, pg. 89

2. Ruthfield, Scott, “The Internet’s History and Development: From Wartime

Tool to the Fish-Cam,” http://www.acm.org/crossroads/xrds2-1/inet-

history.html

3. Mumford, Lewis, Technics and Civilization, Harbinger, 1934, pg. 216

4. Mumford, Lewis, Technics and Civilization, Harbinger, 1934, pg. 218

5. Mumford, Lewis, Technics and Civilization, Harbinger, 1934, pg. 232

6. Mumford, Lewis, Technics and Civilization, Harbinger, 1934, pg. 151

7. Mumford, Lewis, Technics and Civilization, Harbinger, 1934, pg. 176

Show More
Related

  • Every Trip Is A Quest Summary

    919 Words  | 2 Pages

    In this chapter, a quest is defined to consist of five main elements: (a) a quester, (b) a place to go, (c) a stated reason to go there, (d) challenges and trials en route, and (e) a reason and go there. Element (a), the quester, is understood to be embarking on a journey while being with or without the realization that he/she is on a quest. The quester is also often depicted as one of youth because youth is accompanied with inexperience and a lack of self knowledge which allows the ultimate goal of the quest to be fulfilled which is the gating of this knowledge.

    Read More

  • Anne Boleyn in Anne of a Thousand Days

    375 Words  | 1 Pages

    this decision that she had no say in. Anne's second love was the love of being

    Read More

  • Alvin Ailey's Role In Modern Dance

    1073 Words  | 3 Pages

    He had a very strong creative influence in

    Read More

  • Technology In Ronald Wright's A Short History Of Progress

    1598 Words  | 4 Pages

    Technology is something that seems to be on everyone’s mind in today’s society. Does it really help? When it comes to medicine, there have been huge medical advances with help from technology, saving thousands of lives all over the world. Our society has been forever changed with the introduction of the smartphone; getting movies, music and news faster than ever before. But what about education? Does technology go too far and interfere with the learning process, and relationship between professor and student? Smartboards, laptops, tablets and smartphones are becoming more and more frequent in today’s classrooms. It helps teachers engage the students in their work, and it caters to different types of learning between students. However, our progress

    Read More

  • Technological Advancements of World War !

    980 Words  | 2 Pages

    "Science & Technology in World War I." Shmoop: Study Guides & Teacher Resources. Web. 04 Feb. 2010. .

    Read More

  • The American Wars Before and After the Industrial Revolution

    1075 Words  | 3 Pages

    The writer introduces his topic very clearly using different tools. He makes his work simple and easy to understand because he is directing his work to the public. Franklin’s use of organization is intended to make it easy for the reader to progress through time. In addition, he uses an informative tone to inform, not only to persuade, the reader; he wants his audience to draw their own conclusions. Moreover, he uses images to show his audience the affect of photos before and after the Industrial Revolution, and he shows two different images to compare. Franklin shows the wars without makeup as he says, “why not project the war from the point of view of the weapons?” (412).

    Read More

  • The Medieval Machine by Jean Gimpel

    561 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Medieval Machine by Jean Gimpel, shows information about the technological accomplishments of the middle Ages. The basic idea is that during the two centuries from around 1050 Western Europe went through a kind of industrial revolution that was just as important as of the nineteenth century’s.

    Read More

  • What Role Did Cotton Play In The Industrial Revolution

    666 Words  | 2 Pages

    In reference to both the chemist novelists, they have accurately identified several compounds that have found their way in history, but failed to mention the relationship between themselves and the changes each compound created. For example, LeCouteur and Burreson do state, “The Bronze Age, when bronze was used for weapons and tools was followed by the Iron Age, characterized by smelting of iron and the use of iron implements.”4 These chemists do note of their existence, (of bronze and iron), but failed to go into an in-depth analysis as to how each of them incorporative their usage to today’s time. Bronze for example, had shown a transition from burins tools for hunting to a durable ax and adz heads for agriculture. This ultimate transition had set the stage for a new era, filled with new findings and affects for further implications, like other metallic elements. Elements, like tin, in which LeCouteur and Burreson, state was material that the buttons from Napoleon’s army coats where made out of. This material wasn’t able to support the freezing conditions of Russia, which is believe to led have fallen apart. Nevertheless, the predicament came to be if, “the lack of buttons meant that hands were used to hold garments together rather than carry weapons?”5 Within missing chemical structures like bronze

    Read More

  • Who can be integrated into the literary canon of American Literature?

    1436 Words  | 3 Pages

    "Anne Hutchinson: Facts, Discussion Forum, and Encyclopedia Article." AbsoluteAstronomy.com. Encycloedia. Web. 17 Oct. 2010. .

    Read More

  • Examining Themes in Shakespeare's Sonnets

    1960 Words  | 4 Pages

    “Shakespeare was born in 1564 in Stratford – upon – Avon to his parents John and Mary Shakespeare. He was the third of seven children, in which three of them died. ” (Shakespeare’s Life) Shakespeare attended Stratford’s grammar school, and after he left married Anne Hathaway. During his marriage, “Shakespeare lived primarily in London (1592 to 1611) while his wife Anne Hathaway live in Stratford – upon – Avon, about 100 miles away.” (k12) Together they had three kids, Susanna, Hamnet, and Judith. Only Susanna and Judith lived to older ages, while Hamnet his only son died at a young age. (Shakespeare’s Life)

    Read More

  • The Machine Gun

    1364 Words  | 3 Pages

    These kinds of weapons were impractical for military use, but attracted many people to the arms race for weapons that could sweep the battlefield. “They had limitations in practice, among them slow re...

    Read More

  • A Study of Iron

    1067 Words  | 3 Pages

    Iron was introduced throughout the world in what was later deemed the “Iron Age.” The documented approximate date of the beginning of the usage of iron is 1800 BC, though some evidence points to usage as ea...

    Read More

  • hghhg

    1229 Words  | 3 Pages

    Although, Anne Boleyn is hard to figure out as character, the king tires his best to have great connection with her and get closer to her. No matter the consequence would turn out to be. For instance, their marriage, they took enormous risk and secretly married. Due to oppose of the Pope Clement, who later excommunicated the king, the book Wolf Hall explains:

    Read More

  • The Promise of Sociology

    874 Words  | 2 Pages

    According to C. Wright Mills, what occurs in any one individual's life is interrelated with society as a whole. The sociological imagination gives us the ability to understand the correlation of one's biography, history, and traditions along with the knowledge of the social and historical impact and/or influence society may have on that person or group of people. Mills' notion compels us to investigate into an individual's biography and lifestyles, and place their findings within the surrounding circumstances in which events occur in order to perceive the whole picture of the society in which the individual lives.

    Read More

  • Sociology and Psychology

    810 Words  | 2 Pages

    Sociology is a study of society social life, social change, and social causes and consequences of human behaviour and allows us to gain an understanding of the structure and dynamics of today’s society, looking at the interlinking links patterns of human behaviour. Sociology looks at the in which social structure and institutions affect our everyday life. Sociological imagination was founded by C. Wright mills in the 1950`s it is an overall understanding of that some of the things that happen in society may lead to a particular outcome. Mills said it is “the vivid awareness of the relationship between experience and wider society.” sociological imagination can also be defined as the ability to look at how sociological situations can unfold due to how everyone is different. The way we behave is shaped by the situation that we find ourselves in, the values and norms that we have and the way that other members of society act around us. It is also a way of thinking about how things in society have led to a particular outcome, and understanding of what led to that specific outcome. Sociological imagination is an ability to look at things socially and how they interact and influence each other gaining an understanding of different cultures and class systems.

    Read More

More about Relationship Between Man and Machine in Lewis Mumford’s Technics and Civilization

Open Document