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Lewis Mumford has been referred to as one of the twentieth century's most influential "public intellectuals." A thinker and writer who denied the narrowness of academic speciality, Mumford embraced a cultural analysis that integrated technology, the natural environment, the urban environment, the toon meer individual, and the community. Although he lacked a formal university degree, Mumford wrote more than 30 books and 1,000 essays and reviews, which established his "organic" analysis of modern culture. His work defined the interdisciplinary studies movement, especially American studies; urban studies and city planning; architectural history; history of technology; and, most important in the present context, the interaction of science, technology, and society. Mumford was the editor of Dial, the most distinguished literary magazine of its era, and in 1920 he served as editor of Sociological Review in London and was strongly influenced by Sir Patrick Geddes, the Scottish botanist, sociologist, and town planner. In 1923, Mumford became a charter member of the Regional Planning Association of America, an experimental group that studied city problems from a regional as well as an ecological point of view. Mumford's well-known principle of "organicism" (the exploration of a cultural complex, where values, technology, individual personality, and the objective environment complement each other and together could build a world of fulfillment and beauty) was discussed in all of his work, spanning a career of nearly 70 years. Mumford's first book, The Story of Utopias (1922), introduces reliance on history to understand the present as well as to plan for the future. His books on architectural history and his works in urban studies established Mumford's reputation as the leading American critic of architecture and city planning. Each book views and analyzes the city, or built environment, in the context of form, function, and purpose within the larger culture. Mumford's books are focused on technology's role in civilization, especially "the machine" and "megatechnics." As a result, they have provided formative direction and structure to science, technology, and society studies and have established Mumford's stature as one of the foremost social critics of the twentieth century. Mumford's most profound and important analysis of technology (and the work that most directly influenced interdisciplinary technology-society studies) is the two-volume The Myth of the Machine:Volume 1, Technics and Human Development (1967), and Volume 2, The Pentagon of Power (1970). It was written following World War II (during which Mumford lost his son) after the deployment of atomic weapons by Russia and the United States, and during the arms race. This major work reflects a noticeable reinterpretation of the role of technology and a deep pessimism regarding "megatechnics," a metaphor Mumford uses for intrusive, all-encompassing systems of control and oppressive order. He views the military-industrial complex (the most horrendous "megamachine") as destroyer of the emotive and organic aspects of life. Mumford argues against the loss of personal autonomy and the organic world by electricity-based computer systems. Mumford died on January 26, 1990. (Bowker Author Biography) toon minder

Reeksen

Werken van Lewis Mumford

Technics and Civilization (1934) 607 exemplaren
The Culture of Cities (1938) 256 exemplaren
Ralph Waldo Emerson: Essays and Journals (1968) — Redacteur — 214 exemplaren
The Story of Utopias (1922) 154 exemplaren
Art and Technics (1952) 130 exemplaren
The Lewis Mumford Reader (1986) 111 exemplaren
The condition of man (1944) 104 exemplaren
Herman Melville (1929) 95 exemplaren
The Conduct of Life (1951) 93 exemplaren
The Urban Prospect (1968) 86 exemplaren
The Highway and the City (1963) 83 exemplaren
America and Alfred Stieglitz: A Collective Portrait (1934) — Redacteur — 71 exemplaren
The Transformations of Man (1956) 68 exemplaren
The myth of the machine (1967) 56 exemplaren
The human way out (1958) 33 exemplaren
In the name of sanity (1954) 30 exemplaren
The human prospect (1955) 28 exemplaren
Faith for living (1940) 23 exemplaren
The Future Of Technics And Civilization. (1986) — Auteur — 18 exemplaren
Man as interpreter 11 exemplaren
Men must act (1939) 10 exemplaren
The Arts in Renewal (1951) 7 exemplaren
1: ‰Dal santuario alla Polis (2000) 5 exemplaren
Lewis Mumford textos escogidos (2009) 3 exemplaren
American taste (1929) 3 exemplaren
Programme for Survival (1946) 3 exemplaren
La megamáquina 2 exemplaren
Modern architects (1980) 2 exemplaren
The city (1939) 2 exemplaren
Thorstein Veblen 1 exemplaar

Gerelateerde werken

Writing New York: A Literary Anthology (1998) — Medewerker — 281 exemplaren
The 40s: The Story of a Decade (2014) — Medewerker — 278 exemplaren
Erewhon and Erewhon Revisited (1872) — Introductie, sommige edities229 exemplaren
Garden Cities of To-Morrow (1902) — Introductie, sommige edities155 exemplaren
Man Alone: Alienation in Modern Society (1962) — Medewerker — 141 exemplaren
The Ancient World to the Reformation (1973) — Medewerker — 84 exemplaren
Europe: A Journey With Pictures (1954) — Voorwoord, sommige edities59 exemplaren
Whither Mankind (1928) — Medewerker — 45 exemplaren
A Quarto of Modern Literature (1935) — Medewerker — 39 exemplaren
Daedalus, Spring 1965: Utopia (1965) — Medewerker — 7 exemplaren
Patrick Geddes in India — Introductie — 1 exemplaar

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Besprekingen

I was looking for a city-planning book, but he spends most of his time on architectural aesthetics, like complaining about the "contrast of gray concrete and yellow London brick...spoiled by the housewives' passion for pink and blue curtains".

He had some interesting ideas about designing spaces that are protected from motor vehicle traffic (pointing to Rotterdam as a good example), and "mixed neighborhoods, able to sustain more than one urban function and demanding far less vehicular transportation". He also had some ideas I didn't like, such as building small "New Towns" outside large cities to draw people away and avoid the need to build tall apartments in the big cities.

With a title like "The Highway and The City" I expected there to be more about transit, zoning, governance, and the like.
… (meer)
 
Gemarkeerd
AdioRadley | Jan 21, 2024 |
Thoughtful, reflective early.account of role of technologies in cultural development. Included speculations on how societies evolve, which have fared less well in scholarly evaluations.
 
Gemarkeerd
sfj2 | 1 andere bespreking | Nov 30, 2023 |
Stieglitz as receiver and medium of new cultural ideas in the USA regarding photography and modern art. An odd character, but influential in artistic circles of his generation.
 
Gemarkeerd
sfj2 | Nov 25, 2023 |
The hour is late for saving the human race from the possibility of wanton extermination or biological degradation; we must plan with a human purpose springing from divine inspiration.
 
Gemarkeerd
PendleHillLibrary | 2 andere besprekingen | Apr 20, 2022 |

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Statistieken

Werken
77
Ook door
14
Leden
5,362
Populariteit
#4,647
Waardering
4.0
Besprekingen
26
ISBNs
195
Talen
16
Favoriet
9

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