Pentagon Of Power, Vol. 2 Book

This second volume to Lewis Mumford's 2 volume set "The Myth of the Machine" is incredible. It picks up where the 1st volume left off and shuttles us all the way up to the late 60's early 70's. Along the way Lewis Mumford brilliantly deconstructs the motives behind the advancement of technology as well as some of the more sinister and seedier hidden aspects of the society within the machine's psyche.

Modern man's longing for space travel is actually turned upside down in this book and evaluated with such a witty biting realistic cynicism that completely deprograms everything we have been thought. Oh, you thought that the space age was ushered in because of man's inexhaustible mind that causes him to look to the stars in order to find his place in the universe and in doing so constantly explores the unknown? WRONG. The space age exploded on the scene due to the political pissing contest between two different MEGAMACHINES (MOTHER RUSSIA, and the GOOD OLE U S OF A). Of course we already knew this but what makes this book incredible is the way Lewis Mumford compares and contrasts the Ancient Egyptian (Khemet) MEGAMACHINE's pyramid building (pissing contest between kings and pharaoh's) and the space race (pissing contest that went down between Russian leaders and U.S leaders).


Along the way this awesome book (that I wish had been required reading in highschool, although if it had been I don't think I would have read it) takes us all the way from Medieval times to the present day. I don't think I have quoted another book more than this one on GoodReads, and that alone should be proof enough of how highly I esteem this book.