Lewis Mumford Revisited

Abstract

In this paper we use Mumford’s thesis, that the clock and not the steam engine is the key to the modern industrial age, as a starting point to make some remarks on the role of the clock in Western culture. We briefly discuss the mechanical clock in the West, its invention and reception. The relation between the clock and the Industrial Revolution is threefold. Its role in the synchronization of human activity is of crucial importance. In different ways the clock and the Scientific Revolution are connected: several scientists were involved in improving clocks and clock makers and the makers of scientific instruments are two of a kind. Moreover clock technology was crucial in the course of the Industrial Revolution.