reckless-generosity
The idea that innovation and progress are driven by individuals acting without concern for reward or feasibility, motivated by passion and idealism.
1 chapter across 1 book
Pandaemonium: The Coming of the Machine as Seen by Contemporary Observers 1660-1886 (1985)Humphrey Jennings
This chapter emphasizes that the driving force behind the Industrial Revolution was not monetary gain but the intrinsic motivations of individuals characterized by eccentricity, idealism, and reckless generosity. It presents an 'imaginative history' through selected images and writings that reveal the complex human experiences and conflicts—social, political, and philosophical—that shaped this era. The chapter also contrasts the means of vision (imagination transforming sense impressions) with the means of production (labour transforming matter), highlighting their historical interconnection.