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06653_Field_TCUM T218.txt
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1996-04-10
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The village had institutionalized all human functions in
forms of low intensity. In this mild form everyone could play
many roles. Participation was high, and organization was low.
This is the formula for stability in any type of organization.
Nevertheless, the enlargement of village forms in the city-state
called for greater intensity and the inevitable separation of
functions to cope with this intensity and competition. The
villagers had all participated in the seasonal rituals that in the
city became the specialized Greek drama. Mumford feels that
“The village measure prevailed in the development of the Greek
cities, down to the fourth century . . .” (The City in History ). It is
this extension and translation of the human organs into the
village model without loss of corporal unity that Mumford uses
as a criterion of excellence for city forms in any time or locale.
This biological approach to the man-made environment is
sought today once more in the electric age. How strange that