The critical theory of Lewis Mumford

Lewis Mumford was one of the last great American public intellectuals. He is remembered as an urbanist, art critic, historian, and sociologist, but no title fully captures his thought and work. Though often credited with founding the discipline of the History of Technology in his work Technics and Civilization (1934), Mumford was no unbiased fan. Rather, his attitude toward science, technology, and knowledge can be read as highly critical. When compared to another well-known group of critics - The Frankfurt School - The themes of domination, alienation, and the narrowness of knowledge in our modern mechanized world comes to the forefront of Mumford's writings. As the computers of the Information Age continue to extend into more and more realms of the social, Mumford's and the Frankfurt School's critique has become more relevant and important.