Tools for Conviviality by Ivan Illich Chapter 1

 I have started reading Tools for Conviviality by Ivan Illich, this time beginning with chapter one two watersheds. Illich’s main arguments in this book seem to pertain directly to education and medi-care, both of which exist, and are justified, as he argues, for their own sake by their own bureaucrats. He also references the de-professionalization of medi-care in china in the 70s and makes the argument that wholesale institutional change is actually possible.

It is possible to see that the education, and certification of medical professionals is self-serving, and that those tools, which were previously used wholesale by the society have been undermined and degraded. With specifically medicine Illich talks how miracle cures have been valued more than healthier lifestyles, the argument he is making I think is actually the argument that just treating a symptom of lets say heart disease due to obesity will not fix the problem or cure those who are ill, instead it usually just prolongs the suffering of the disease, (pessimistic right now) Illich is arguing however that we look at the causes of the diseases, like obesity and try to understand how it comes into existence, as a result of our jobs not providing the cardio vascular exercise that we need, or as a result of high carb high sugar diets as a result of the agro industrial complex pumping out corn based corn syrup over sweet products for mass consumption effectively fattening the entire population.

Illich refers to each technology / or institution as having two watersheds, the first is when the break through becomes a service to the general population, the second seems to be when that institution or invention becomes a detriment. Illich illustrates this concept with the automobile arguing first the it was service, allowing us to cover a great distance in a short amount time,  (here referring to the train/steam engine) and then the car began to exist for its own sake. Where it created the new distances to be traveled, for want of a highway.

Finally to round off the argument Illich, on page 8, talks about the standard reaction to a dissatisfaction with the system, or a failure for it work was the idea of more “further technological and bureaucratic escalation” if it didn’t work then lets do more of it, here is a quote

“While evidence shows that more of the same leads to utter defeat, nothing less than more and more seems worthwhile in a society infected by the growth mania. The desperate plea is no only for more bombs and more police, more medical examination and more teachers, but also for more information and research. The editor-in-chief of the bulletin of atomic scientist claims that most of our present problems are the result of recently acquired knowledge badly applied, and concludes that the only remedy for the mess created by this information is more of it. It has become fashionable to say that where science and technology have created problems, it is only more scientific understanding and better technology that can carry is past them. The cure for bas management is more management. The cure for specialized research is more costly interdisciplinary research, just as the cure for polluted rivers is more costly nonpolluting detergents. The pooling of store of information, the building up of a knowledge stock, the attempt to overwhelm the present problems by the production of more science is the ultimate attempt to solve a crisis by escalation.”