Lewis Mumford
Biography of Lewis Mumford
Full Name and Common Aliases
Full Name: Lewis Mumford
Common Aliases: None
Birth and Death Dates
Born: October 19, 1895
Died: January 26, 1990
Nationality and Profession(s)
Nationality: American
Profession(s): Historian, Sociologist, Philosopher, Literary Critic, Urban Planner
Early Life and Background
Lewis Mumford was born in Flushing, Queens, New York City, in 1895. Raised in a family that valued education and intellectual curiosity, Mumford developed a keen interest in literature and the arts from a young age. His early education was marked by a passion for reading and a fascination with the burgeoning urban landscape of New York City. Mumford attended Stuyvesant High School, where he excelled academically, and later enrolled at the City College of New York. Although his formal education was interrupted by World War I, during which he served in the U.S. Navy, Mumford's intellectual pursuits continued unabated. He later attended the New School for Social Research, where he was influenced by the progressive ideas of the time.
Major Accomplishments
Lewis Mumford's career was distinguished by his interdisciplinary approach to understanding the complexities of modern society. He was a prolific writer and thinker whose work spanned several fields, including urban planning, architecture, and technology. One of his major accomplishments was his ability to synthesize these diverse disciplines into a coherent critique of modern civilization. Mumford's insights into the relationship between technology and society were groundbreaking, and he was one of the first thinkers to critically examine the impact of technological advancements on human life and the environment.
Notable Works or Actions
Mumford's literary contributions are vast, with some of his most notable works including "The City in History" (1961), which won the National Book Award, and "Technics and Civilization" (1934), a seminal work that explored the historical development of technology and its effects on society. In "The Culture of Cities" (1938), Mumford examined the evolution of urban environments and their cultural significance. His writings often emphasized the need for a balance between technological progress and humanistic values, advocating for urban planning that prioritized community and ecological sustainability.
Impact and Legacy
Lewis Mumford's impact on the fields of urban planning and sociology is profound. His ideas have influenced generations of urban planners, architects, and social theorists. Mumford was a vocal advocate for the preservation of human-scale environments and the integration of nature into urban design. His critiques of the dehumanizing aspects of modern technology and urban sprawl remain relevant today, as cities around the world grapple with issues of sustainability and livability. Mumford's legacy is evident in the continued relevance of his ideas in contemporary discussions about urban development and environmental stewardship.
Why They Are Widely Quoted or Remembered
Lewis Mumford is widely quoted and remembered for his incisive analysis of the interplay between technology, society, and the environment. His ability to articulate complex ideas in an accessible manner has made his work enduringly popular among scholars and the general public alike. Mumford's warnings about the potential dangers of unchecked technological growth and his advocacy for a more humane and sustainable approach to urban development resonate with current global challenges. His quotes often reflect a deep understanding of the human condition and a visionary perspective on the future of civilization. As a result, Mumford's insights continue to inspire and provoke thought, ensuring his place as a significant figure in the discourse on modernity and its discontents.
Quotes by Lewis Mumford
Lewis Mumford's insights on:
The city, with language...remains man's greatest work of art, a place where 'time becomes visible,' and 'mind takes form.'
Wood, then, was the most various, the most shapeable, the most serviceable of all the materials that man has employed in his technology: evan stone was at best an accessory.
The rational conquest of the environment by means of machines is fundamentally the work of a woodman...Stone is a mass: but wood, by its nature, is already a structure.
Every generation revolt against its fathers and makes friends with its grandfathers.
Even in the eighteenth century, before either the French Revolution or the paleotechnic revolution had been consummated, it had become the fashion to discredit municipal authorities and to sneer at local interests. In the newly organized states, even those based on republican principles, only matters of national moment, organized by political parties, counted in men’s hopes or dreams.
Humor is our way of defending ourselves from life’s absurdities by thinking absurdly about them.
Primitive man’s life in Hobbes’ famous words, was short, brutish, and nasty; and this very savagery and anxiety became the justification for an absolute order established, like Descartes’ ideal world, by a single providential mind and will: that of the absolute ruler or monarch. Until men were incorporated into Leviathan, that is, the all-powerful state through which the king’s will was carried out, they were dangerous to their fellows and a burden to themselves.