The Tools for Conviviality Quotebook

Orla O’Donovan, quoting Erich Fromm in her critique of Tools for Conviviality ¹, argues that the value of Illich’s ideas “lies in the fact that they have a liberating effect on the mind by showing entirely new possibilities” for leftist political strategy in the postsocialist condition in which we find ourselves today, where the Left suffers from (quoting O’Donovan now) not just a “crisis in confidence” but “the absence of a broad vision.” His radical, often implacable questioning forces the reader to re-examine the thoughtless “anti” and “equal access” that characterize the dying Left’s custodial opposition to neoliberal movements. Reading Illich’s theory we hope to be free from this prison of “sterile, preconceived notions” of justice so that we may once again gain ground on social progress without capitulation to, for example, hegemonic debates over access to anti-convivial healthcare. In short: his ideas allow us to critique the system over the policy, even as the Left is relegated, in its exile, to the arena of local politics.

But I am suspicious of this attitude. On the one hand, reading Illich for his way of thinking and not for the things he thought allows us to elevate his critique beyond his own biases. O’Donovan demonstrates this when she criticizes Illich’s antiquated sexism—both in his personal comportment and in his writing—but then relates his theory to the politics of gender in reproductive technology. Perhaps the ideas are greater than the man. On the other hand, ignoring the content of his book we are left with little to say and less to do. O’Donovan helpfully points out that Illich’s project “raises difficult questions.”

I believe Tools for Conviviality has more to offer. Beyond his basic orientation that aligns with the sociological study of technology, and his rhetoric of ruthless critique, there are, at the heart of this book, normative claims. Illich puts forth a very specific vision for a convivial society, rooted in specific criteria that identify convivial relations and their opposites. It is my belief that these ideas have value not just for leftist politics and theoreticians, but for designers, researchers, and engineers developing social tools, as I cannot comprehend a Left that does not take itself seriously enough to mobilize in the offices and laboratories where the tools are created that embed anti-convivial ideology into the technological world. And it is my intention to study these arguments in conflict with the evolution of technology and capitalism since 1971, and, if possible, use Illich as a springboard and carve out a system of ideas that effectively captures the vision, ethics, requirements, spiritual necessity, and political strategy of humane technology, from highways and cars to restaurants and bars to websites and paperwork to drugs and houses to workplaces and schools.

To this end I present a brief summary of Illich’s main points below, along with arguments that I find suitable for deployment as a liberating force in activism, via quotation with occasional commentary. I hope this book of quotes may present the liberating opportunities treasured by Fromm and O’Donovan while authentically preserving Illich’s vision—whether or not we agree with it.

Coming soon…

See also: On energetic quanta and frustration.