Difference between revisions of "Convivial Systems"
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Illich however was addressing tools in the limited sense of individual technical artifacts, even though such artifacts could attain the size of a factory or power plant. But there are other, wider, definitions of tools and technology, such as that promoted by Jacques Ellul in his book The Technological Society. Ellul grouped tools and technology under the broader category of “technique,” which he defined as: "the totality of methods rationally arrived at, and having absolute efficiency (for a given stage of development) in every field of human activity." Thus “technique” includes for example the rational methods used to run the modern state: statistics, accounting, social work and so on. (Ellul’s pessimistic conclusion was that the totality of techniques escapes human control and follows its own unstoppable evolution. Illich’s program can be seen as an attempt to regain control over that process.) | Illich however was addressing tools in the limited sense of individual technical artifacts, even though such artifacts could attain the size of a factory or power plant. But there are other, wider, definitions of tools and technology, such as that promoted by Jacques Ellul in his book The Technological Society. Ellul grouped tools and technology under the broader category of “technique,” which he defined as: "the totality of methods rationally arrived at, and having absolute efficiency (for a given stage of development) in every field of human activity." Thus “technique” includes for example the rational methods used to run the modern state: statistics, accounting, social work and so on. (Ellul’s pessimistic conclusion was that the totality of techniques escapes human control and follows its own unstoppable evolution. Illich’s program can be seen as an attempt to regain control over that process.) | ||
| − | Another wide definition of tools is promoted by those who see ideas as tools (such as for example Dennett). If an individual idea can be seen as a tool, a set of interrelated ideas can be seen as a technical system. | + | Another wide definition of tools is promoted by those who see ideas as tools (such as for example [http://conviviality.ouvaton.org/article.php3?id_article=20 Daniel Dennett]). If an individual idea can be seen as a tool, a set of interrelated ideas can be seen as a technical system. |
==Convivial service systems== | ==Convivial service systems== | ||
