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

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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

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