S3 Ep. 8 L. M. Sacasas – Building a convivial society: autonomy, tools, scale and capabilities

Feb 15, 2022

L. M. Sacasas, Associate Director of the Christian Study Center in Gainesville and author of The Convivial Society, dives into the essence of conviviality and the profound influence of philosopher Ivan Illich. They discuss creating tools that empower rather than de-skill individuals and the need for societal limits to foster genuine human connections. Sacasas critiques the responses to COVID-19 while advocating for a sustainable future centered on community relationships. A thought-provoking exploration of autonomy and redefining fulfillment awaits!

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INSIGHT

Conviviality As Positive Alternative

Conviviality pairs a sharp critique of modern institutions with a positive alternative centered on convivial tools.
These tools are scaled to humans and enable flourishing rather than creating dependence.

INSIGHT

Scale Matters For Human Flourishing

Conviviality hinges on appropriate scale and human visibility within institutions and tools.
When tools outgrow human scale they risk becoming counterproductive and destructive.

INSIGHT

Tools Should Empower Skill, Not Replace It

Industrial tools can de-skill people by doing work for them rather than enabling skillful use.
Convivial tools should let people work with them, preserving autonomy and capability.

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What does it mean to create convivial organizations and platforms? Today we explore the relationship between technology and society with L. M. Sacasas – and what we can learn from the philosopher Ivan Illich (1926-2002).

L. M. Sacasas is the Associate Director of the Christian Study Center of Gainesville, Florida, and author of The Convivial Society, a newsletter about technology and society. Michael has written for The New Atlantis, The New Inquiry, Real Life Magazine, Mere Orthodoxy, Rhizomes, The American, and Second Nature Journal.

Ivan Illich was a philosopher, Roman Catholic priest, and critic of the institutions of modern Western culture, addressing practices in education, medicine, work, energy use, transportation, and economic development.

In this episode, we explore what we mean by conviviality, having tools to empower – not de-skill – humans, the necessity of limits, re-envisioning the good life, and why Ivan Illich has such a big following in today's society.

A full transcript of the episode can be found on our website: https://boundaryless.io/podcast/l-m-sacasas/

Key Highlights

The meaning of conviviality and the influence of Ivan Illich on L. M. Sacasas’ work
The accuracy of Ivan Illich’s predictions on mental health, education, and work
Examples of convivial tools
Identifying how to measure progress and where to aim better
Why the real world needs to embrace virtual reality

To Find Out More About Michael’s Work:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LMSacasas
The Convivial Society newsletter: https://theconvivialsociety.substack.com/

Other References and Mentions:

The Abolition of Institutions: On Ivan Illich with LM Sacasas and Nina Power
Ivan Illich, Tools for Conviviality, 1973: Amazon
Ivan Illich, Deschooling Society, 1971: Wikipedia
Thinking After Ivan Illich
David Chalmers, Reality+, 2022: Amazon
PD Smith, Reality+ by David J Chalmers review – are we living in a simulation?
Boundaryless Whitepaper, New Foundations of Platform-Ecosystem Thinking — Designing Products and Organizations for a changing world, 2020: Download here

Find out more about the show and the research at Boundaryless at https://boundaryless.io/resources/podcast/

Thanks for the ad-hoc music to Liosound / Walter Mobilio. Find his portfolio here: https://boundaryless.io/podcast-music

Recorded on 20 January 2022.