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Lewis Mumford

ルイス・マムフォード

Ruisu Mamufōdo

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1895-10-19 （Flushing, Queens, New York, U.S.）
Died
1990-01-26 （Amenia, New York, U.S.） age 94
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Residence History
Queens, New York City → Manhattan, New York City → Amenia, New York

Career

Occupations
historian, writer, sociologist, philosopher of technology, literary critic, architecture critic, urban historian
Active Years
1918-1990
Memberships
American Philosophical Society, American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Influenced By
Patrick Geddes, Victor Branford, Alfred North Whitehead
Influenced
Jacques Ellul, Witold Rybczynski, Barry Commoner, Murray Bookchin, Amory Lovins

Education

Stuyvesant High School
Period: 〜1912
Year of Graduation: 1912
Country: United States
Graduated 1912
City College of New York
Period: 1910年代（中断）
Country: United States
Did not complete degree due to illness (tuberculosis)
The New School for Social Research
Period: 1910年代（在籍）
Country: United States
Attended but did not obtain degree

Awards

Leonardo da Vinci Medal
1969
Organization: Society for the History of Technology
Result: 受賞
National Book Award (Nonfiction)
1962
Work: The City in History
Category: ノンフィクション
Organization: National Book Foundation
Result: 受賞
Frank Jewett Mather Award
1963
Category: 芸術批評
Organization: College Art Association
Result: 受賞
Presidential Medal of Freedom
1964
Organization: United States Government
Result: 受賞
Prix mondial Cino Del Duca
1976
Organization: Prix mondial Cino Del Duca
Result: 受賞
Honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE)
1975
Organization: British honours system (honorary)
Result: 受賞（名誉）
National Medal of Arts
1986
Organization: National Endowment for the Arts / United States
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The City in History

1961 urban history / urban studies

A sweeping study of the origins and transformations of cities; critiques modern urban sprawl and emphasizes an 'organic' relationship between people and their living spaces.

history of citiesurban planninghuman environment

Technics and Civilization

1934 history of technology / philosophy

Examines the development of technics and their role in shaping civilization, introducing distinctions such as eotechnic, paleotechnic, and neotechnic epochs.

history of technologycivilization theorytechnology and society

The Myth of the Machine, Vol. II: The Pentagon of Power

1970 technology criticism / philosophy

Critiques 'megatechnics'—technology driven by endless expansion—and advocates 'biotechnics' that respect ecological and human limits.

critique of technologyecological thinkingpower and organization

The Story of Utopias

1922 literary criticism / social thought

An early work tracing the history of utopian thought and its influence on social and urban planning theories.

utopian thoughtsocial ideals

Herman Melville

1929 literary criticism

A study of Herman Melville's life and work that contributed to the Melville revival.

literary criticismAmerican literary history

Bibliography

  • The Story of Utopias (1922)
  • Sticks and Stones (1924)
  • The Golden Day (1926)
  • Herman Melville (1929)
  • Technics and Civilization (1934)
  • The City in History (1961)
  • The Myth of the Machine (1967–1970)
  • My Work and Days: A Personal Chronicle (1979)
  • Sketches from Life: The Autobiography of Lewis Mumford (1982)

Adaptations

  • Film 'The City' (1939)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
organic humanist perspectiveinterdisciplinary and erudite proseclear, critical treatment of technology
Recurring Motifs
relation between city and the human bodycritique of technology (megatechnics vs biotechnics)livability / bioviabilityopposition to megamachines and bureaucratic power

Health

  • tuberculosis
    1910年代（若年期）
    Affected studies and contributed to not completing a college degree

Legacy

Lewis Mumford was a prominent public intellectual whose work on urban history and the history and critique of technology influenced urban planning, environmental thought, and debates about technology's role in society.

Museums

  • Lewis Mumford House Amenia, New York Opened in 1999
  • Lewis Mumford Center for Comparative Urban and Regional Research University at Albany, State University of New York

Academic Societies

  • American Philosophical Society
  • American Academy of Arts and Sciences

Archives

  • Lewis Mumford papers (Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts, University of Pennsylvania)
  • Lewis Mumford Center archives (University at Albany)

In Popular Culture

  • Cited as an inspiration for a character (Ellsworth Toohey) in Ayn Rand's 'The Fountainhead'
  • Influenced photographer Berenice Abbott's portrayal of New York City

Quotes

  • "The physical design of cities and their economic functions are secondary to their relationship to the natural environment and to the spiritual values of human community."
    Source: The City in History (1961) (1961)

Trivia

  • Suffered tuberculosis in youth and did not complete a college degree.
  • 'The City in History' won the National Book Award in 1962.
  • Was made an honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) late in life.