Technics and Civilization
Mumford discusses the emergence and impact of the mechanical clock, originating in monasteries, on society's perception of time, organization, and industrialization.
bpb-us-e1.wpmucdn.comTechnics and Civilization
"Long ago, before the Great Clock, time was measured by changes in heavenly bodies: the slow sweep of stars across the night sky, the arc of the sun and variation in light, the waxing and waning of the moon, tides, seasons. Time was measured also by heartbeats, the rhythms of drowsiness and sleep, the recurrence of hunger, the menstrual cycles of w... See more
The Marginalian • Einstein’s Dreams: Physicist Alan Lightman’s Poetic Exploration of Time and the Antidote to the Anxiety of Aliveness – The Marginalian
Lewis Mumford, in his classic history of technology, Technics and Civilization, reminds us of the social and emotional work of this early clock, keeping a desirable life set apart by spiritual habits that were measured by marking the hours. “Within the walls of the monastery was sanctuary,” he writes. “Under the rule of order surprise and doubt and
... See moreSara Hendren • What Can a Body Do?: How We Meet the Built World
But time was simultaneously a fixed grid, and a possession. Everyone was encouraged to see time as did the medieval merchant: as a finite property to be carefully budgeted and disposed of, much like money. What’s more, the new technologies also allowed any person’s fixed time on earth to be chopped up into uniform units that could be bought and sol
... See moreDavid Graeber • Bullshit Jobs: A Theory
Les occupants français ont découvert de la houille et proposent à tous les hommes valides un travail salarié. Toute la cité est bouleversée. C’en est fini du temps savouré comme de l’éternité. L’heure a sonné de celui des horloges et des montres, jusque-là inconnu, a sonné, avec ses minutes, ses secondes… Ce temps nouveau a pour dessein d’abolir to
... See more