## **Lewis Mumford (1895–1990)** American historian, sociologist, and philosopher of technology. Mumford is best known for his critical analyses of urban development, culture, and technology, emphasising the social and ethical consequences of technological systems. --- ### **Key Ideas on Technology** 1. **Technics vs. Technology** - Mumford distinguished between _“tools”_ (technics) and _“technology”_, where technology represents complex, systematised, large-scale applications of tools embedded within social and political structures. 2. **The Mega-Machine Concept** (_The Myth of the Machine_, 1967–1970) - **Definition:** Societies organised like enormous machines, made up of human components rather than purely mechanical parts. - **Characteristics:** - Top-down hierarchical control. - Centralised organisation of labour and knowledge. - Coordination on a massive scale. - **Example:** Pharaonic Egypt. The pyramid is seen not just as a monument but as a product of a “mega-machine”: a society mobilised with incredible discipline and coercion to serve the state and religion. 3. **Spaceships and Pyramids Analogy** - Mumford compares modern projects like **space exploration** to the pyramids: - Both involve enormous technological effort and resources. - Both require vast human labour, often at great cost. - Both elevate a privileged few — pharaohs or astronauts — symbolically to “heaven.” - The analogy emphasises the continuity of human societies organised around monumental technological achievement, regardless of era. 4. **Critique of Machine-Oriented Societies** - Mumford warns that mega-machines prioritise efficiency, power, and prestige over individual well-being. - Technology itself is not evil, but its integration into hierarchical systems can dehumanise society. - Human creativity and ethics must guide technological development rather than subordination to technological imperatives. 5. **Technics and Human Scale** - Advocates for technology that is **human-scale**, decentralised, and democratic, enhancing life without subordinating humans to machines. --- ### **Summary Insight** Mumford’s work shows that **technology is inseparable from social organisation**: monumental achievements like pyramids or spaceships are expressions of societal priorities, often involving immense human toil. His “mega-machine” concept serves as a warning about top-down technological systems that elevate a few at the expense of many. --- ![[Lewis Mumford.jpg]] `Concepts:` `Knowledge Base:`