NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Lewis Mumford

Lewis Mumford (October 19, 1895 – January 26, 1990) was an American historian of technology and science. Particularly noted for his study of cities and urban architecture, he had a tremendously broad career as a writer that also included a period as an influential literary critic. Mumford was influenced by the work of Scottish theorist Sir Patrick Geddes. October 19 is the 292nd day of the year (293rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1895 (MDCCCXCV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... January 26 is the 26th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1990 (MCMXC) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... An historian is someone who writes history, a written accounting of the past. ... By the mid 20th century humans had achieved a mastery of technology sufficient to leave the surface of the Earth for the first time and explore space. ... Part of a scientific laboratory at the University of Cologne. ... The city of Chicago, as seen from the sky The main square of the Catalan city of Sabadell during a popular celebration. ... Literary criticism is the study, discussion, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. ... Sir Patrick Geddes (1854 - 1932) was Scottish biologist and botanist, known also as an innovative thinker in the fields of urban planning and education He was responsible for introducing the concept of region to architecture and planning. ...

Mumford was also a contemporary and friend of Fred Osborne, Edmund N. Bacon, and Vannevar Bush. Frederick W. Osborne (born in Alberta, Canada) is a former major league pitcher and outfielder for the Pittsburgh Alleghenys. ... TIME Magazine November 6, 1964 Edmund N. Bacon (May 2, 1910 â€“ October 14, 2005) is a noted Urban Planner whose visions shaped todays Philadelphia, the city in which he was born. ... Vannevar Bush (March 11, 1890 â€“ June 30, 1974) was an American engineer and science administrator, known for his political role in the development of the atomic bomb, and the idea of the memexâ€”seen as a pioneering concept for the World Wide Web. ...

Life

Mumford was born in Flushing, New York and graduated from Stuyvesant High School in 1912. He studied at the City College of New York and the New School for Social Research, yet he became ill with tuberculosis and never finished his degree. In 1919 he became associate editor of The Dial, an influential modernist literary journal. He later worked for The New Yorker where he wrote architectural criticism and commentary on urban issues. Flushing is a section of the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. ... Stuyvesant High School, affectionately known as Stuy, is a New York City public high school that specializes in mathematics and science. ... The City College of The City University of New York (known more commonly as City College of New York or simply City College, CCNY, or colloquially as City)[1] is a senior college of the City University of New York, in New York City. ... New School University is an institute of higher learning in New York City. ... Year 1919 (MCMXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar). ... The January 1920 issue of the Dial. ... This article focuses on the cultural movement labeled modernism or the modern movement. See also: Modernism (Roman Catholicism) or Modernist Christianity; Modernismo for specific art movement(s) in Spain and Catalonia. ... The New Yorker is an American magazine that publishes reportage, criticism, essays, cartoons, poetry and fiction. ...

Mumford's earliest books in the field of literary criticism have had a lasting impact on contemporary American literary criticism. The Golden Day contributed to a resurgence in scholarly research on the work of 1850's American transcendentalist authors and Herman Melville: A study of His Life and Vision effectively launched a revival in the study of the work of Herman Melville. Soon after, with the book The Brown Decades, he began to establish himself as an authority in US architecture and urban life, which he interpreted in a social context. Transcendentalism was the name of a group of new ideas in literature, religion, culture and philosophy which emerged in New England in the early- to mid-nineteenth century. ... Herman Melville (August 1, 1819 â€“ September 28, 1891) was an American novelist, essayist and poet. ... The Parthenon on top of the Acropolis, Athens, Greece Architecture (from Latin, architectura and ultimately from Greek, Î±ÏÏ‡Î¹Ï„ÎµÎºÏ„Ï‰Î½, a master builder, from Î±ÏÏ‡Î¹- chief, leader and Ï„ÎµÎºÏ„Ï‰Î½, builder, carpenter) is the art and science of designing buildings and structures. ...

In his early writings on urban life, Mumford was optimistic about human abilities and wrote that the human race would use electricity and mass communication to build a better world for all humankind. He would later take a more pessimistic stance. His early architectural criticism also helped to bring wider public recognition to the work of Henry Hobson Richardson, Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright. Lightning strikes during a night-time thunderstorm. ... Mass communication is the term used to describe the academic study of various means by which individuals and entities relay information to large segments of the population all at once through mass media. ... Henry Hobson Richardson, portrait by Sir Hubert von Herkomer Trinity Church in Boston is one of Richardsons most famous works. ... Louis Sullivan Louis Henry (Henri) Sullivan (September 3, 1856â€“April 14, 1924) was an American architect, called the father of modernism. He is considered by many as the creator of the modern skyscraper, was an influential architect and critic of the Chicago School, and was a mentor to Frank Lloyd... Frank Lloyd Wright (June 8, 1867â€”April 9, 1959) was one of the most prominent and influential architects during the first half of the 20th century. ...

Mumford was involved in numerous research positions and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1964. In 1943 Mumford was made an honorary Knight of the British Empire. In 1976, he was awarded the Prix mondial Cino Del Duca. The Presidential Medal of Freedom The Presidential Medal of Freedom is one of the two highest civilian awards in the United States and is bestowed by the President of the United States (the other major civilian award which is considered its equivalent is the Congressional Gold Medal of Honor, which... 1964 (MCMLXIV) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1964 calendar). ... 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1943 calendar). ... The British honours system is a means of rewarding individuals personal bravery, achievement or service to the United Kingdom. ... The Prix mondial Cino Del Duca (Cino Del Duca World Prize) is a major international literary award established in 1969 in France by Simone Del Duca (1912-2004) to continue the work of her late husband, publishing magnate Cino Del Duca (1899-1967). ...

He served as the architectural critic for The New Yorker magazine for over 30 years. The New Yorker is an American magazine that publishes reportage, criticism, essays, cartoons, poetry and fiction. ...

Lewis Mumford died at his home in Amenia, New York. Amenia is a town and a hamlet in the town (and census_designated place) located in Dutchess County, New York. ...

Ideas

Mumford's choice of the word "technics" throughout his work was deliberate. For Mumford, technology is one part of technics. Technics refers to the interplay of a social milieu and technological innovation - the "wishes, habits, ideas, goals" as well as "industrial processes." As Mumford writes at the beginning of Technics and Civilization, "other civilizations reached a high degree of technical proficiency without, apparently, being profoundly influenced by the methods and aims of technics." Technics and Civilization written by Lewis Mumford in the 1930s (published in 1934) gives the history of technology and its interplay in shaping and being shaped by civilizations. ...

Megatechnics

In The Myth of the Machine: technics and human development (1967), 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." Credit as a financial term, used in such terms as credit card, refers to the granting of a loan and the creation of debt. ... An installment plan, is a method of buying on credit, enabling people to buy goods and sometimes services with payments over an extended period, without having to pay much or any money at time of the purchase. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Planned obsolescence. ... Wikibooks has more about this subject: Marketing Billboards and street advertising in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan, (2005) Advertising is paid communication through a non-personal medium in which the sponsor is identified and the message is controlled. ...

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 ... 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." For making ice cream, see ice cream freezer. ... Nickname: Motto: Speramus Meliora; Resurget Cineribus (Latin for, We Hope For Better Things; It Shall Rise From the Ashes) Location in Wayne County, Michigan Coordinates: Country United States State Michigan County Wayne County - Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick Area - City 370. ...

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.

Polytechnics versus monotechnics

A key idea, introduced in Technics and Civilization (1934) was that technology was twofold: Technics and Civilization written by Lewis Mumford in the 1930s (published in 1934) gives the history of technology and its interplay in shaping and being shaped by civilizations. ... 1934 (MCMXXXIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ...

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 public transit, 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. Karl Benzs Velo (vÃ©lo means bicycle in French) model (1894) - entered into the first automobile race 2005 MINI CooperS. An automobile (also motor car or simply car) is a wheeled passenger vehicle that carries its own motor. ... An animated demonstration of a six-legged insect walking. ... Velo redirects here. ... A taxi serving as a bus Public transport comprises all transport systems in which the passengers do not travel in their own vehicles. ... Highway in Pennsylvania, USA The Pan-American Highway, in the Peruvian town of MÃ¡ncora, where it serves as the main street. ...

Megamachines

Mumford also refers to large hierarchical organizations as megamachines—a machine using humans as its components. These organizations comprise Mumford's stage theory of civilization. The most recent Megamachine manifests itself, according to Mumford, in modern technocratic nuclear powers—Mumford used the examples of the Soviet and US power complexes represented by the Kremlin and the Pentagon, respectively. The builders of the Pyramids, the Roman Empire and the armies of the World Wars are prior examples. A hierarchy (in Greek: , it is derived from -hieros, sacred, and -arkho, rule) is a system of ranking and organizing things or people, where each element of the system (except for the top element) is subordinate to a single other element. ... This article is about devices that perform tasks. ... Stage theories are based on the idea that elements in systems move through a pattern of distinct stages over time and that these stages can be described based on their distinguishing characteristics. ... This article is about a movement that supports the use of technology to enhance society. ... There are currently five nations considered to be nuclear weapons nations, an internationally recognized status conferred by the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). ... Soviet redirects here. ... United States may refer to: Places: United States of America SS United States, the fastest ocean liner ever built. ... Moscow Kremlin in the 19th century. ... Look up pentagon in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The Great Sphinx of Giza with Khafres pyramid in the background. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... A world war is a war affecting the majority of the worlds major nations. ...

Features

He explains that meticulous attention to accounting and standardization, and elevation of military leaders to divine status are spontaneous features of megamachines throughout the history. He cites such examples as the repetitive nature of Egyptian paintings which feature enlarged Pharaohs and public display of enlarged portraits of dictators such as Mao Tse Tung and Joseph Stalin. He also cites the overwhelming prevalence of quantitative accounting records among surviving historical fragments, from ancient Egypt to Nazi Germany. Pharaoh is a title used to refer to any ruler, usually male, of the Egyptian kingdom in the pre-Christian, pre-Islamic period. ... Mao Zedong (December 26, 1893—September 9, 1976) was the chairman of the Communist Party of China from 1935 until his death. ... The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... Khafres Pyramid (4th dynasty) and Great Sphinx of Giza (c. ... Nazi Germany, or the Third Reich, commonly refers to Germany in the years 1933–1945, when it was under the firm control of the totalitarian and fascist ideology of the Nazi Party, with the Führer Adolf Hitler as dictator. ...

Necessary to the construction of these megamachines is an enormous bureaucracy of humans which act as "servo-units", working without ethical involvement. Technological improvements such as remote control by satellite or radio, instant global communication, and assembly line organizations dampen psychological barriers against the end result of their actions, according to Mumford. An example which he uses is that of Adolf Eichmann, the Nazi official who conducted logistics behind the Holocaust. Mumford collectively refers to people willing to carry out placidly the extreme goals of these megamachines as "Eichmanns". The Politics series Politics Portal This box: Bureaucracy is a concept in sociology and political science referring to the way that the administrative execution and enforcement of legal rules are socially organized. ... A television remote control A DVD player remote control A remote control is an electronic device used for the remote operation of a machine. ... An Earth observation satellite, ERS 2 For other uses, see Satellite (disambiguation). ... 1913 Ford Model T assembly line. ... Adolf Eichmann in Germany in 1940 Otto Adolf Eichmann (known as Adolf Eichmann; March 19, 1906 â€“ May 31, 1962) was a high-ranking Nazi and SS ObersturmbannfÃ¼hrer (Lieutenant Colonel). ... This article is becoming very long. ...

The clock as herald of the 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, contrary to the steam engine, writing: "The clock is a piece of machinery whose 'product' is seconds and minutes." A clock (from the Latin cloca, bell) is an instrument for measuring time. ... The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times, beginning with the Renaissance. ... A Watt steam engine. ... // The term steam engine may also refer to an entire railroad steam locomotive. ...

Urban civilization

In his influential book The City in History, which won the National Book Award, 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. The City in History: Its Origins, Its Transformations, and Its Prospects is a 1961 work by American theorist of society and technology Lewis Mumford. ... The National Book Award is one of the most important literary prizes in the United States, presented annually for the best books by living U.S. citizens published in the U.S. The awards have been presented since 1950 in at least one category, and are presently awarded in each... Urban sprawl (also: suburban sprawl), a term with pejorative implication, refers to the unplanned, rapid and expansive growth of a greater metropolitan area, traditionally suburbs (or exurbs) over a large area. ... Pessimism, generally, describes a belief that things are bad, and tend to become worse; or that looks to the eventual triumph of evil over good; it contrasts with optimism, the contrary belief in the goodness and betterment of things generally. ... Urban planning is concerned with the ordering and design of settlements, from the smallest towns to the worlds largest cities. ...

Mumford uses the example of the medieval city as the basis for the "ideal city", and claims that the modern city is too close to the Roman city (the sprawling megalopolis) which ended in collapse; if the modern city carries on in the same vein, Mumford argues, then it will meet the same fate as the Roman city.

Mumford wrote critically of urban culture believing the city is “a product of earth … a fact of nature … man's method of expression”.^[1] Further Mumford recognised the crises facing urban culture, distrusting of the growing finance industry, political structures, fearful that a local community culture was not being fostered by these institutions. Mumford feared 'metropolitan finance’, urbanisation, politics and alienation. Urban culture is the culture of cities. ... Urbanization is the degree of or increase in urban character or nature. ... Politics is the process by which groups make decisions. ... Look up alienation, alienate in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Writing style

While Mumford's writing exhibits much original research and a uniquely "Mumfordian" approach to history and technology, his style often incorporates powerful rhetorical subtleties and psychoanalytical interpretations of philosophical figures. Rhetoric (from Greek , rhÃªtÃ´r, orator, teacher) is generally understood to be the art or technique of persuasion through the use of oral or written language; however, this definition of rhetoric has been contested since rhetoric emerged as a field of study in Universities. ... Psychoanalysis is a family of psychological theories and methods based on the work of Sigmund Freud. ...

Rhetoric

In cataloguing the "obsession" of classic thinkers with space travel, Mumford turns his attention to an obscure work by Johannes Kepler entitled Somnium where Kepler speculates about the possibilities of lunar travel (supposedly attainable as early as 1609). Mumford cites this work as an example of a science-driven transition from Heaven to space travel as the salvation and ultimate goal of the human race—a recurring theme of Mumford's writings loosely summarized as sun worship which, according to Mumford, is a psychotic emanation from the "collective psyche" of mankind. Johannes Kepler (December 27, 1571 â€“ November 15, 1630) was a German Lutheran mathematician, astronomer and astrologer, and a key figure in the 17th century astronomical revolution. ... Somnium (2001) is an album by the American ambient musician Robert Rich. ... Heaven is a concept found in many religions or spiritual philosophies, typically described as the Holiest place, accessible according to standards of divinity (goodness, etc. ... Space exploration is the physical exploration of outer-Earth objects and generally anything that involves the technologies, science, and politics regarding space endeavors. ... A solar deity is a deity who represents the Sun. ... Psychosis is a psychiatric classification for a mental state in which the perception of reality is distorted. ... Collective unconscious is a term of analytical psychology originally coined by Carl Jung. ...

After illustrating Kepler's "keen grasp of the embarrassing details" and inferring interior compulsions were to blame, Mumford charges Kepler with being "steeped in sun-worship". While these inflections lie below the level of outright attack they are dismissive of Kepler's reasoning and even speculate as to his subconscious motivations. It has been suggested that Personal attack be merged into this article or section. ...

Influence

Mumford's interest in the history of technology and his explanation of "polytechnics," along with his general philosophical bent, has been an important influence on a number of more recent thinkers concerned that technology serve human beings as broadly and well as possible. Some of these authors — such as Jacques Ellul, Witold Rybczynski, Amory Lovins, J. Baldwin, E.F. Schumacher, Herbert Marcuse, Murray Bookchin, Marshall McLuhan — have been both intellectuals and persons directly involved with technological development and decisions about the use of technology. This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Witold Rybczynski (born in 1943, in Edinburgh, Scotland), is a Canadian architect, professor and writer. ... Amory Lovins Amory Bloch Lovins (born November 13, 1947 in Washington, DC) was trained in physics and has worked professionally as an environmentalist. ... James Tennant Baldwin (whose books and articles have been published under the names J. Baldwin, Jay Baldwin, and James T. Baldwin) is an American industrial designer and writer born in 1934. ... Ernst Friedrich Fritz Schumacher (1911-1977) was an economist with a professional background as a statistician and economist in Britain. ... Herbert Marcuse (July 19, 1898 â€“ July 29, 1979) was a prominent German and later American philosopher and sociologist of Jewish descent, and a member of the Frankfurt School. ... Murray Bookchin[1] (born January 14, 1921) is an American libertarian socialist speaker and writer, and founder of the Social Ecology school of anarchist and ecological thought. ... McLuhan redirects here. ...

In light of the international significance of Mumford's writings, the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., has designated an impressive auditorium as the Lewis Mumford Room. The general public is allowed to attend lectures and symposia held in this room on the sixth floor of the library's newest structure, the James Madison Memorial Building. His works also influenced a myriad of landscape architects such as John Nolen who saw the need for cities to be designed as organic in nature. The Great Hall interior. ... Nickname: DC, The District Motto: Justitia Omnibus (Justice for All) Location of Washington, D.C., in relation to the states Maryland and Virginia Coordinates: Federal District District of Columbia - Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D) - City Council Chairperson: Vincent C. Gray (D) Ward 1: Jim Graham (D) Ward 2: Jack Evans... The James Madison Memorial Building The James Madison Memorial Building is one of three buildings that make up the Library of Congress and is part of the United States Capitol Complex. ...

Works

Year 1922 (MCMXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar). ... Year 1924 (MCMXXIV) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar). ... Year 1926 (MCMXXVI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar). ... Herman Melville (August 1, 1819 â€“ September 28, 1891) was an American novelist, essayist and poet. ... 1929 (MCMXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1931 (MCMXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link is to a full 1931 calendar). ... The City is a 1939 short documentary film which attempts to contrast the evils of the industrialized city with the idyllic conditions one finds in small-town America. ... 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1934 (MCMXXXIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... Year 1938 (MCMXXXVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... Year 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... 1951 (MCMLI) was a common year starting on Monday; see its calendar. ... Year 1946 (MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... Year 1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The City in History: Its Origins, Its Transformations, and Its Prospects is a 1961 work by American theorist of society and technology Lewis Mumford. ... 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1961 calendar). ... 1963 (MCMLXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (the link is to a full 1963 calendar). ... 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar (the link is to a full 1967 calendar). ... 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1970 calendar). ... 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). ... For the song by The Smashing Pumpkins, see 1979 (song). ... 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Reference

Image File history File links Wikiquote-logo-en. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Weidenfeld & Nicholson is a British publisher of fiction, an imprint of the larger Orion Publishing Group ...

External links

Contents

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