Ivan Illich
Ivan Illich was a social philosopher and also worked as a Catholic parish priest in New York. He is known for his radical critique of institutions in Western society, spanning education, healthcare, transportation, and economic development. He founded the Centro Intercultural de Documentación (CIDOC) in Mexico, where he developed many of his ideas.
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On Two Watersheds
Technology • Systems Design • Sustainability
Any industrialized institution will go through two watershed moments. At first, its progress provides clear and substantial benefits to society. But second, its overdevelopment begins to run counter to its original goal and in fact becomes destructive to society.
Tools For Conviviality • 1973
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On Conviviality
Human-centeredness • Making
Conviviality is a term to describe individual freedom through creative intercourse with others and the environment. It is offered as a counter to a philosophy of industrial productivity.
Tools For Conviviality • 1973
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On Our Relationship to Our Tools
Technology • Human-centeredness • Making
Tools (in the broad sense of purposely shaped systems and objects) are vital to social relationships and the way we understand the world. Design should take measures to protect our access to tools.
Tools For Conviviality • 1973