Dr. Todd F. Hartch
2009 Roark Lecture Recipient

ABSTRACT

"Deadly Institutions: Ivan Illich's Critique of the West‘s Greatest Temptation"

Ivan Illich (1926-2002) argued that modern Western institutions are deadly. He believed that the modern West faces an almost irresistible temptation to create institutions whenever it faces important moral issues. These institutions inevitably degenerate into bureaucratic monstrosities that eventually work against their original goals. Although Illich initially attacked the institutionalization of the Catholic Church, in the 1960s he broadened his critique to include public education, modern medicine, urban transportation, and economic development. He recognized, for instance, the humanitarian impulse behind public education but concluded that the result was a new sort of ignorance: “The pupil is ‘schooled’ to confuse teaching with learning, grade advancement with education, a diploma with competence, and fluency with the ability to say something new.” Similarly, he believed that the “radical monopoly” of the automobile in the field of transportation ultimately led to gridlock and despair rather than to quicker travel. This lecture will examine the development and impact of Illich’s anti-institutional philosophy during his years in New York City (1951-55), Puerto Rico (1956-59), and Mexico (1960-76).