The myth of the machine
The Myth of the Machine is a non-fiction book by the American researcher and writer Lewis Mumford , which was first published (in two volumes) in the USA in 1967/70. The German edition gives the title abbreviated as the myth of the machine . Its subtitle already suggests the breadth and critical angle of Mumford's extensive investigation: culture, technology and power . Critics accuse the work of being pessimistic about culture .
Main features
Under Megamachine Mumford understands the whole system of modern Western economy and life, which puts forward a frightening totalitarian claim for him and leads to wars. The main representatives of the mega-machine at that time are North American and Soviet imperialism. It is based on the mechanistic worldview that prevailed in the course of the Renaissance : All things are controllable because and to the extent that they are quantifiable, namely measurable, predictable, repeatable. History, culture, morals and the subject in general with its fears, hopes and sources of strength must necessarily come under the wheels because they cannot be quantified. As is understood, capitalism with its striving for growth is the found form of economy for a mega-machine . The question of what luck or misfortune goes hand in hand with this pursuit - i.e. the question of quality - she rigorously ignores. Mumford works out the destructive character of Western "progress", which is known to accelerate inexorably. "Only the destructive processes are fast, only the entropy comes without any effort." At a time when it is still largely a foreign word, Mumford deals extensively with ecology .
Temples and skyscrapers
However, through the initially astonishing parallel that the Egyptian pyramids and Mesopotamian temples were the forerunners of the modern mega-machine , Mumford makes it clear that neither capitalism nor so-called progress are the only scapegoats. The striving to "subdue the earth" is older than the Old Testament . On the other hand, Mumford presents numerous indications for the assumption that there were “brakes” against this striving before the great authoritarian kingdoms (and outside of them). He traces it back to the European Middle Ages and the 19th century ( Romanticism , Philosophy of Life , William Morris ). The “sand in the gears” of a mega machine are primarily self-organized, decentralized structures, craft and polytechnics , comprehensive education instead of specialization, autonomy . When Mumford completed his investigation, the worldwide student revolt was at its height, which at least in parts had taken up the cause of the "Great Refusal": the mega-machine which, according to Mumford, owes itself to a millennia-old process of expropriating people from their livelihoods . However, Mumford already foresaw the uprising of that rebellion in the culture industry.
Mass organizations
In addition to parallels to the Frankfurt Critical Theory , Mumford's work can be certified as being related to Friedrich Georg Jünger's work The Perfection of Technology from 1953. It is possible that Mumford did not know the complete work of the German philosopher. In his bibliography he only cites an early version of The Failure of Technology from 1949 , which was published in English . Even for the younger generation , the mega machine is not just made of steel or electronics. It is also a propaganda machine (see also social machine ). It also has the significant ability to organize masses, which - for Mumford - already proved itself in the construction of the pyramids or in the campaigns of Alexander the Great . Mumford by no means outlaws technology in general. Above all, he rejects the modern large-scale technology that makes people an appendage to the machine - and plaything of "experts" who only know technical solutions. If Mumford has read The Devil's Dictionary of his compatriot Ambrose Bierce , he must have liked his definition of the inventor : "One who imaginatively combines wheels, levers and springs and who considers culture." Mumford repeatedly points to the social and intellectual achievements which many historians neglect, even when considering the Paleolithic, because they are not as robust and handy as a hand ax or a steamroller. In addition, Mumford robs modern man of the imagination that industrialization is his achievement. Rather, it is due to numerous inventions that were made between 1300 and 1800, such as water mills, canals, sailing ships, pocket watches and inventions in mining. The exploding money economy made the leap to large-scale and mass production possible.
effect
The German translation first appeared in 1974 in the Europaverlag, then in 1977 by S. Fischer in Frankfurt / Main. This edition achieved six editions by 1986 (31,000 copies). In the 19th edition of the Brockhaus Encyclopedia - Volume 15 in question appeared in 1991 - Mumford is not represented. In Oesterdieckhoff's Lexicon of Sociological Works , Arndt Emmert writes that, alongside Renewal of Life and The City , the myth of the machine is Mumford's most important work. In sociology, however, it is received only sparingly or not at all, probably because of its culturally pessimistic tone. His influence on futurology and technology criticism is "of decisive importance". Neil Postman has called Mumford's criticism of technology "knowledgeable" and "committed".
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Mumford, edition fischer-alternativ, 1977, p. 782.
- ^ Günter Eich in his radio play Dreams , 1951
- ↑ Herbert Marcuse
- ^ Adorno / Max Horkheimer
- ↑ Mumford p. 760 ff
- ↑ Ambrose Bierce: The Devil's Dictionary , Zurich edition 1987, p. 33
- ↑ For example rails (for wagons), which were initially made of wood, mostly oak; s. Walter Porzig , The Miracle of Language (1950), 1986 edition p. 31
- ↑ Quoted from this website , accessed on November 24, 2010.