First published in 1948, Mechanization Takes Command is an examination of mechanization and its effects on everyday life. A monumental figure in the field of architectural history, Sigfried Giedion traces the evolution and resulting philosophical implications of such disparate innovations as the slaughterhouse, the Yale lock, the assembly line, tractors, ovens, and “comfort” as defined by advancements in furniture design. A groundbreaking text when originally published, Giedion’s pioneering work remains an important contribution to architecture, philosophy, and technology studies. - Das 1948 erstmals veröffentlichte Buch Mechanization Takes Command ist eine Untersuchung der Mechanisierung und ihrer Auswirkungen auf das Alltagsleben. Sigfried Giedion, eine monumentale Figur auf dem Gebiet der Architekturgeschichte, zeichnet die Entwicklung und die sich daraus ergebenden philosophischen Implikationen so unterschiedlicher Innovationen wie des Schlachthofs, des Yale-Schlosses, des Fließbands, der Traktoren, der Öfen und des „Komforts“ im Sinne von Fortschritten im Möbeldesign nach. Giedions bahnbrechendes Werk war bei seiner Erstveröffentlichung bahnbrechend und ist nach wie vor ein wichtiger Beitrag zur Architektur, Philosophie und Technikforschung.Übersetzt mit DeepL.com (kostenlose Version) Over the last two hundred years mechanization has moved from being a marginal marvel, of interest to scientists and tinkerers, to the dominant condition of modern society and economy, so much so that it is now easy to imagine a future where mechanization even enters into the human mind and body. Sigfried Giedions extraordinary, encyclopedic book traces the various ways in which, for better and for worse, mechanization has assumed control of our lives, from modern systems of hygiene and waste management, to agricultural production, fashion, and beyond.Giedions book is not only clearly written but also eloquent and thoughtful in its investigation of mechanizations reach and appeal, and it offers fascinating insights into the intersection between mechanization and the imagination, as manifested in literature and the visual arts. With a wealth of unusual and intriguing illustrations taken from old sales catalogues, industrial manuals, magazines, and other sources, Giedions book constitutes a remarkable and endlessly suggestive history of modernity itself, as comprehensive as it is provocative and eccentric.
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