Each thought and thing allied : Lewis Mumford on technics and society PDF
Preview Each thought and thing allied : Lewis Mumford on technics and society
EACH THOUGHT AND THING ALLIED: LEWIS MUMFORD ON TECHNICS AND SOCIETY by Lynne Hissey B.A., Simon Fraser University, 1982. THESIS SUBMITTED IN PAQTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS (COMMUNICATION) in the Department of Communication Lynne Hissey @ SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY September, 1986 All rights reserved. This work may not be reproduced in whole or in part, by photocopy or other means, without permission of the author. APPROVAL Name: Lynne Hissey Degree: Master of Arts (Communication) Title of thesis: Each Thought and Thing Allied: Lewis Murnford on Technics and Society Examining Committee : Chairman: Dr. Martin Laba Dr. William Leiss Professor Senior Supervisor Dr. paid Heyer Associate Professor - Prof. Liora Salter Associate Professor Dr. Stephen Straker Assistant Professor Department of History University of British Columbia External Examiner Date Approved: 25th September, 1986 ii PARTIAL COPYRIGHT LICENSE I hereby grant to Simon Fraser University the right t o lend my thesis, project or extended essay (the t i t l e of which is shown below) to users of the Simon Fraser University Library, and t o make partial or single copies only for such users or in response to a reqbest from the library of any other university, or other educational institution, on its own behalf or for one of its users. I further agree that permission for multiple copying of this work for scholarly purposes may be granted by me or the Dean of Graduate Studies. I t is understood that copying or publication of this work for financial gain shall not be a l lowed without my written permission. Title of ~hesis/Project/Extended Essay Each Thought and Thing Allied: Lewis h f o r d on Technics and Society Author: Lynne Hissey ( name September 25, 1986 (date) ABSTRACT This thesis examines the work of Lewis Mumford (1895- ) in an attempt to assess his contribution to the study of the social history of technology. This examination entails a consideration of Mumford's own work as well as an effort to contextualize his thought historically. An American scholar, who is a self-professed "generalist," Mumford has published more than twenty books, in a variety of areas, over the last fifty years. Still, there has been no full-length critical study of his works published. This thesis, therefore, begins with a general introduction to the range and scope of Mumford's intellectual pursuits. This is presented in the form of two sketches - the first biographical and the second bibliographical. The consideration of Mumford's thought on the question of technology deals with his core works on the subject: Technics g& Civilization, Art and Technics, and The Myth of the Machine. Three primary, overlapping themes are found to unite Mumford's work. These themes are The Critique of Industrial Society, The Critique of False Dichotomies, and the Renewal of Life. Mumford argues that the contemporary world is characterisec! by a series of artificial divisions. In particular, the "Machine Age" overemphasises the "objective," technological aspects of our lives and actively devalues the "subjective" and organic elements of existence. renewal of life demands a reunification of these elements in a "dynamic equilibrium." An examination of Mumford's primary sources reveals a hidden tradition of communication thought which begins with Ralph Waldo Emerson, and continues with John Ruskin, Henry Adams, Thorstein Veblen, and Mumford's "Master", Patrick Geddes. Mumford's debt to these thinkers is elucidated through an examination of their major works. Several themes are found to unite these diverse and marginal thinkers: a sense of civilization threatened, an understanding of technology as a social construct, and a belief in the possibility of a reconstituted new world. This thesis argues that Mumford . culminates the line of thought represented by this "hidden tradition." The thesis concludes that while Mumford is heir to a rich tradition of thought on the question of C technology his own work is not without originality. His claim to originality lies in his ability as a iii synthesiser to unite diverse and sometimes disparate strands of thought into a coherent and unified whole. While his ultimate project of the reconciliation and synthesis of the dichotomies of the Machine Age is unsuccessful, this does not negate his achievement as an acute diagnostician of the modern world. It is found that Mumford's primary conmibution to the study of technology resides in the achievement of shifting the focus of consideration away from technology per se and toward a more extensive and comprehensive examination of the social matrix within which technology develops and operates. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The Department of Communication at SFU is a remarkable world. As my "home" for the last few years, it has afforded me the privilege of meeting and working with a variety of people, too numerous to mention here, who have contributed to the making of this thesis. In a very real sense, this thesis, whose faults, naturally, lie solely with me, is a communal product. I would like to thank my Committee: Paul Heyer, who is responsible for my "introduction" to Mumford and who bears a good measure of responsibility for my entrance to the programme, and whose unflagging support and encouragement far surpasses my ability to thank him adequately; Liora Salter, who has taught me much more than she knows; and my Senior Supervisor, Bill Leiss, who, although he sets an impossible example, has inspired many of us. Pam Parford, Lucie Menkveld, Paulette Johnston, and earlier, Karen Gardiner, the staff of the Communication Department, have provided cheerful assistance and generally held the horrors of bureaucracy at bay. My gratitude is also extended to the community of graduate students in the Department. Although academic work is often solitary and alienating, being a part of this supportive community has kept me human. In particular I would like to thank Pat and Roger Howard, Janice Peck, Roman Onufrijchuk, Richard Pinet, and Jane Walker. Lynda Drury belongs in a sentence all her own, and our friendship is not the least of the gifts I have received through my association with the Department. A group of my ex-students and current friends have also contributed heavily to the production of this thesis. Firoozeh Riahi, Suzanne Strutt, Catherine Witzell, and Anne Francis have, each in her own way, inspired me. Finally, I would like to thank those people outside the Department who have, nevertheless, been . very much with me in the production of this work. Although it is conventional to discharge others of for one's own work, in a literal sense this thesis would not have been written without Chin Banerjee who gave me the confidence and courage to embark on the project. Its completion owes much to Ruth Harding, and I wish to say a very special thank you to her. TABLE OF CONTENTS .......................................................................................................................................................................... Approval ii ... .......................................................................................................................................................................... Abstract 111 ......................................................................................................................................................... Acknowledgements v INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................................1... .. ............................................................................................................................ BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 3 .................................................................................................................. BIBLIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 6 A . Literary Criticism and American Cultural History ..............................................................................6. . ................................................................................................................... B Architecture and Civilization 14 C. The Social History of Technology/Technology and Culture ...........................................................1. 5 . ................................................................................................................................. D The Renewal of Life 16 . . ............................................................................................................................. E The History of the City 17 F. Political Tracts. Anthologies. and Autobiographical Works ............................................................ 18 ...................................................................................................... ....................................................... NOTES 21 .................................................................................................................... TECKNICS AN3 MUMFORD 23 ....................................................................................................................................... INTRODUCTION 23 .............................................................................................................. TECHNICS AND CIVILIZATION 25 .ART .AND TECHNICS ...........................................................................................................................4..0. . ............................................................................................................... THE MYTH OF THE MACHINE 46 .............................................................................................................. Technics and Human Development 46 .................................................................................................................................... Pentagon of Power 50 ................................................................................................................................................................ NOTES 58 .......................................................................................................................................................... SOURCES 65 ............................................................................................................................................ INTRODUCTION 65 RALPH WALDO/ ?ERSO N AND THE FATHERS OF AMERICAN LITERATURE ............... 65 \ ................................................................................................................................................ JOHN RUSKIN 70 I vii 1. Art and Society ......................................................................................................................................7..2.. 2. Political Economy ....................................................................................................................................7..4. i. Mammonism ...........................................................................................................................................7..5.. .. . ........................................................................................................................ ii The Defilement of Nature 75 iii. Militarism .................................................................................................................................................7. 6 . ...................................................................................................... iv Science. Technology. and Industry 76 ...................................................................................................................................... Ruskin and Mumford 78 ........................................................................................................................................... HENRY ADAMS 80 ................................................................................................................................... THORSTEIN VEBLEN 85 ...................................................................................................................................... PATRICK GEDDES 89 ..................................................................................................................................................................... Life 90 ....................................................................................................................................... Works and Thought 93 ...................................................................................................................................... Geddes and Mumford 97 ........................................................................................................................................................ Conclusion 101 ................................................................................................................................................................ Notes 103 ................................................................................................... 1 EVALUATION AND CONCLUSIONS 110 ............................................................. .......................................................................................... Evaluation i 113 ........................................................................................................................................................ Conclusion 118 .................................................................................................................................................................. Notes 121 ...................................................................................................................................................... BIBLIOGRAPHY 122 viii CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION One occasionally encounters a thinker who looms large on the margins of conventional thought, a figure who ranges over several disciplines and resides in none. Such thinkers, who refuse to acknowledge disciplinary boundaries, are often exiled from the realm of acceptable academic pursuits. Lewis Mumford is such an intellectual wanderer who has been banished to relative obscurity for the sin of excessive scholarly peregrination. A self-proclaimed "generalist", Mumford has steadily refused to narrow his focus, to limit his enquiries to a particular field, or to classify himself within one of the social science or humanities disciplines (a word which itself suggests inflexible limits and rigid control).l This thesis seeks to present and assess Lewis Mumford's works, particularly his thought on the social history of technology. It is a premise of this thesis that since Mumford's corpus revolves around the two fundamental issues of intersubjectivity and the relationship of people to things, he may be considered a communication theorist Because Mumford stands so firmly outside the traditional departments of academic thought it is tempting to see him, sui neneris, as a lonely and heroic figure without precursors and doomed to a posthumous oblivion without heirs. This thesis argues that Lewis Mumford culminates a line of what may be termed a hidden tradition of communication thought which begins with Ralph Waldo Emerson, and continues with John Ruskin, Henry Adams, Thorstein Veblen, and Mumford's "Master," Patrick Geddes. It is suggested f~rthert,h at Mumford remains a powerful voice who, from the margins, has much to contribute to our understanding of technology. The remainder of this Chapter is devoted to two sketches of Mumford - the first biographical and the second bibliographical. Chapter I1 contains the discussion of Mumford's major works in the area of technology aqd culture. This Chapter considers Technics and Civilization, Art and Technics, a&nd' J gvth of the Flaine in some detail. These works are presented with reference to the three dominant L %
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