Demythologizing the machine: Patrick geddes, lewis mumford, and classical sociological theory

Abstract

This paper reconsiders the work of the Scottish biologist, sociologist, and town planner Patrick Geddes and his most famous intellectual disciple: the American independent scholar Lewis Mumford. It is argued that existing interpretations of their work, ranging from a dismissal of the two men as eccentric polymaths to the speculative emphasis on the importance of psychological theories in Mumford's oeuvre, are fundamentally flawed. Examining their writings and the letters they exchanged during their 17-year correspondence, this paper shows that the only way we can appreciate the scholarly conventions underpinning Geddes's and Mumford's work, as well as the context in which it was produced, is by looking to the principles of classical sociological theory.

Energy and society: Herbert Spencer’s ‘energetic sociology’ of social evolution and beyond

“…Even though Spencer does not develop the implications of non-human energy use, his sociological theory, placing energy at its very core, brings us closer to the fundamental reconsideration of social evolution that such an energetic sociology requires. With the possible exception of Patrick Geddes, who is finally beginning to receive much needed attention, along with the way his theories are developed by Lewis Mumford (Renwick and Gunn, 2008;Studholme, 2008), Spencer is arguably the most important classical resource for exploring the roles of energy in society and social evolution. Given the challenges that lie ahead for an energy-intensive and energy-dependent global society; the time for reconsideration of his 'energetic sociology' is certainly at hand.…”

“…With the possible exception of Patrick Geddes, who is finally beginning to receive much needed attention, along with the way his theories are developed by Lewis Mumford (Studholme 2008;Renwick and Gunn 2008), Spencer is arguably the most important classical resource for exploring the roles of energy in society and social evolution. Given…”

Lester Ward and Patrick Geddes in early American and British sociology

“…As omnivorous as Comte, but stimulating’ (Zueblin, 1917). Geddes referred much more often to Henri Bergson, Thorstein Veblen, William Morris and Edvard Westermarck, than to Ward – to say nothing of his dominant influences Le Play, Ruskin, Comte and Spencer (Renwick and Gunn, 2008). Ultimately, whatever influence Geddes derived from Ward must be largely imputed as based on their similar sociological themes and interests.…”

“…In the decades following the turn of the 20th century, two scholars of considerable prominence, Lester Ward in the United States and Patrick Geddes in Scotland, were shunted from the centre of sociological discourse to the margins of posterity. Recently historians of sociology have returned to the life and work of these founders in an effort to consider ‘paths not taken’ (Renwick and Gunn, 2008; Chriss, 2006; Studholme, 2008; Rafferty, 2003). While arguments have been made for recognition of these scholars’ broad insights, which might contribute to our understanding of contemporary sociological concerns, including the human–environment relationship, urban sociology and sociobiology, rarely are these two scholars considered together as part of the same discursive field.…”