Topic + context: An excuse for talking through the thought of historian Ivan Illich, applied to web3: on his critique of institutions/monopoly/dependency, tools for conviviality and freedom, having one way/paternalism/good intentions, the domain of the "vernacular" and the commons, and his concept of social and cultural iatrogenesis.
Question(s) of the week: How can our attempts to be good result in it's own evils? Illich was a deep thinker, a radical that challenged our assumptions of modern life. A varied list of questions to think about: How can we think through why we create institutions and the "needs" they impose on us? Have we lost the commons, how can we recover it? Can we really make systems that don't make people depend on them or is it inherent to a system (crypto)?
Group Note HackMD Link:
Relevant articles/insights to share (many links below):
Short essays to read (should be able to finish some of these!?) + tldr
- To Hell with Good Intentions (1968, 7 pgs): A famous speech by Ivan Illich to some students about to serve in missions to Mexico in the midst of programs such as the Peace Corps and the notion of development, critising what is seen as paternalism and volunteerism.
- Silence is a Commons (1983, 5 pgs): on the notion of a lost commons and the affect of technology on communication, speech, and thus silence.
- Hair and the History of the City (1986, 2 pgs): somehow* relating hair to the city and the loss of the commons in the sense of hair being on the outside and inside of our bodies and the fine lines of private/public space vs. the fuzzy boundaries of a commons.
- Summary of Illich's thought by L.M. Sacasas: Thresholds and Limits, Tools to Work With, Interdependence

Once the group note is finalized, it will be updated below:

Institution, Monopoly, & Dependency in Web3

Mod of the Week: contact info and bio

<aside> 📢 Bio: an open source steward of Babel and host of Hope in Source a podcast for conversations on faith, technology, and whatever I feel like! Really into Ivan Illich at the moment.

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