On Lewis Mumford's Urban Theories

On Lewis Mumford's Urban Theories: For American urban theorist Lewis Mumford, human history has generally hinged on two opposing ideas, movement and settlement. While movement brought adventure, settlement brought security, and Mumford argued that cities have served as unique case studies for historians (and sociologists) who wish to examine these ideas in confined spaces. In 1961, he published The City in History, which sought to explicate how urban growth (through technology) has affected human culture over time, and thus, why movement and settlement ultimately define the human experience in cities. Perhaps Mumford captured the essence of a city best when he stated: "The city is a fact in nature, like a cave, a run of mackerel or an ant-heap. But it is also a conscious work of art, and it holds within its communal framework many simpler and more personal forms of art. The mind takes form in the city, and in turn, urban forms condition the mind." An ideal city, for Mumford, was one that struck a balance between nature and technology. In other words, a city that relied equally on its waterways and roadways for transporting goods, its parks and stadiums for entertaining and recreating residents, would invariably offer its planners the possibility for true organic growth.

Twenty Pithy Philosophy Quotes

Twenty Pithy Philosophy Quotes: 1.) "Existence precedes essence." 2.) "I am, therefore, I'll think." 3.) "Doubt is the origin of wisdom." 4.) "Hell is other people." 5.) "There are no facts, only interpretations." 6.) "The last Christian died on the Cross." 7.) "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the Earth." 8.) "Irony is a qualification of subjectivity." 9.) "Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards." 10.) "I must find a truth that is true for me." 11.) "One is not born, but rather becomes, a woman." 12.) "Can an eternal happiness be built on historical knowledge?" 13.) "When not prompted by vanity, we say little." 14.) "It is a great folly to wish to be wise alone." 15.) "The horror makes the thrill." 16.) "From fanaticism to barbarism is only one step." 17.) "Man is born free; and everywhere he is in chains." 18.) "A specter is haunting Europe; the specter of Communism." 19.) "There is but one coward on Earth, and that is the one who dare not know." 20.) "Accept suffering and achieve atonement through it - that is what you must do."