Lewis Mumford

Lewis Mumford (October 19, 1895 – January 26, 1990) was an American historian of technology and science, also noted for his study of cities. Mumford was influenced by the work of Scottish theorist Sir Patrick Geddes.

Ideas

Megatechnics

In the Myth of the Machine, Mumford criticizes the modern trend of technology, which emphasizes constant, unrestricted expansion, production, and replacement. He explains that these goals work against technical perfection, durability, social efficiency, and overall human satisfaction. Modern technology?which he calls 'megatechnics'?evades producing 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 explains, ?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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He uses his own refrigerator as an example, explaining that it ?has been in service for nineteen years, with only a single minor repair: an admirable job. Both automatic refrigerators for daily use and deepfreeze preservation are inventions of permanent value. Though one cannot bestow any such unqualified upon the design of the contemporary motor car, one can hardly doubt that if biotechnic criteria were heeded, rather than those of market analysts and fashion experts, an equally good product might come forth from Detroit, with an equally long prospect of continued use.?

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Biotechnics

Mumford describes an organic model of technology, or biotechnics, as a contrast to megatechnics. Organic systems direct themselves to "qualitative richness, amplitude, spaciousness, and freedom from quantitative pressures and crowding. Self-regulation, self-correction, and self-propulsion are as much an integral property of organisms as nutrition, reproduction, growth, and repair." Biotechnics models life in seeking balance, wholeness, and completeness.

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Polytechnics versus Monotechnics

A key idea, introduced in Technics and Civilization (1934) was that technology was twofold:

Related Topics:
Technics and Civilization - 1934

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• Polytechnic, which enlists many different modes of technology, providing a complex framework to solve human problems.
• Monotechnic which is technology only for its own sake, which oppresses humanity as it moves along its own trajectory.

Mumford commonly criticized modern America's transportation networks as being 'monotechnic' in their reliance on cars. Automobiles become obstacles for other modes of transportation, such as walking, bicycle and light rail, because the roads they use consume so much space and are such a danger to people. Mumford explains that the thousands of maimed and dead each year as a result of automobile accidents are a "ritual sacrifice" the American society makes because of its extreme reliance on highway transport.

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Megamachines

Mumford also discusses large hierarchical organizations in terms of the megamachine, a machine using humans as its components. The buildings of the Pyramids, the Roman Empire and the armies of the world wars are examples of such machines.

Related Topics:
Hierarchical - Machine - Pyramids - Roman Empire

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Industrial Revolution

One of the better-known studies of Mumford is of the way the clock was created by monks in the middle ages and subsequently adopted by the rest of society. He viewed this device as the key invention of the whole industrial revolution, writing: "The clock is a piece of machinery whose 'product' is seconds and minutes."

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Urban civilization

In his influential book The City in History, Mumford explores the development of urban civilizations. Harshly critical of urban sprawl, Mumford argues that the structure of modern cities is partially responsible for many social problems seen in western society. While pessimistic in tone, Mumford argues that urban planning should emphasize an organic relationship between people and their living spaces.

Related Topics:
The City in History - Urban sprawl - Urban planning - Organic

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