“The exhaustion and pollution of earth's resource is, above all, the result of man's self-image, of a regression in his consciousness. Some would like to speak about a mutation of collective consciousness which leads to a conception of a man as an organism dependent not on nature and individuals, but rather on institutions. This institutionalization of substantive values, this belief that a planned process of treatment ultimately gives results desired by the recipient, this consumer ethos, is at the heart of the Promethean fallacy. Efforts to find a new balance in the global milieu depend on the deinstitutionalization of values.” ValuesEducationConsumer SocietyInstitutionalizationEcological Consciousness Book:Deschooling Society Source: Deschooling Society
“The goals of development are always and everywhere stated in terms of consumer value packages standardized around the North Atlantic-and therefore always and everywhere imply more privileges for a few... Underdevelopment is the result of a state of mind common to both socialist and capitalist countries. Present development goals are neither desirable nor reasonable. Unfortunately antiimperialism is no antidote.” MindCountryStatesValuesGoalTermResultsCommonDevelopmentPrivilegeConsumersReasonableState Of MindCapitalistSocialistConsumerismDesirablePackagesAntidoteOverconsumptionUnderdevelopment Author:Ivan Illich
“The knowledge of the individual citizen is of less value than the knowledge of science. The former is the opinion of individuals. It is merely subjective and is excluded from policies. The latter is objective - defined by science and promulgated by expert spokesmen. This objective knowledge is viewed as a commodity which can be refined... and fed into a process, now called decision-making. This new mythology of governance by the manipulation of knowledge-stock inevitably erodes reliance on government by people.” PeopleGovernmentValuesIndividualProcessDecisionOpinionPolicyCitizensMythologyObjectivesDefinedFormerExpertsLatterDecision MakingFedsManipulationCommoditySubjectiveGovernanceRelianceRefinedExcludedErode Author:Ivan Illich
“The pupil's imagination is 'schooled' to accept service in place of value. Medical treatment is mistaken for health care, social work for the improvement of community life, police protection for safety, military poise for national security, the rat race for productive work.” CareValuesSocialCommunityImaginationRaceAcceptingSecurityMilitaryPoliceSafetyProtectionMedicalImprovementHealth CareProductiveTreatmentMistakenRatsNational SecuritySocial WorkPupilsSchooledPoiseRat RaceMedical TreatmentProductive WorkPolice Protection Book:The Dawn of Epimethean Man, and Other Essays Source: The Dawn of Epimethean Man, and Other Essays
“The re-establishment of an ecological balance depends on the ability of society to counteract the progressive materialization of values. The ecological balance cannot be re-established unless we recognize again that only persons have ends and only persons can work towards them.” PersonsEndsValuesAbilityDependsBalanceProgressiveEstablishmentEcologicalEcological Balance Author:Ivan Illich
“Health is not an objective condition which can be understood by the methods of natural science alone. It is rather a condition related to the mental attitude by which the individual has to value what is essential for his life.” ValuesIndividualNaturalAttitudeConditionsHealthEssentialsUnderstoodMethodObjectivesRelatedMental AttitudeNatural Science Author:Ivan Illich
