Ivan Illich (1926–2002) was a social theorist and Roman Catholic priest.
His book Deschooling Society (1971) criticizes institutional education and argues in favor of self-directed education in the context of intentional communities. Tools for Conviviality (1973) analyzes the institutionalization of knowledge and argues that we should "invert the present deep structure of tools" and "give people tools that guarantee their right to work with independent efficiency." Medical Nemesis (1975) highlights the prevalence of iatrogenics—harm caused by doctors—decades before Nassim Taleb popularized it. Illich was born in Vienna but spent most of his youth in Dalmatia, Croatia. He once called himself "an errant pilgrim."
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