[Xmca-l] Re: Prototyping

[Glassman, Michael]

Hi Phillip, Larry, All (I am using a new approach to responding, please let me know if it works),

But perhaps the question is, how and why are they learning these things.  Are they learning these things because the society sets up the apprenticeships for indoctrination in to the larger society?  Or are they learning them through their own curiosity and explorations.  Are apprenticeships rituals that are passed down between generations where the apprentices are so busy learning they are unaware of what they are learning, they simply take their place within a system, or are they learning about what it means to be in continuous relationship through their own adaptations as they invent?  I think when Illich talks about tools for conviviality he is talking about tools that are outside of the established rituals of "education" and more about using tools for an immediate, urgent (in the broad sense) purpose.  And of course when we do this it brings us in to relationship with others who have some sense of shared purpose (I hope I am getting this right).  Interestingly Illich doesn't think that tools were always part of the human condition (I wonder what Vygotsky would think of this) - they emerged during the 12th century.  When this happened how we used and viewed these tools became of primary important, because tools could be perceived in different ways.  But at least we had a choice in how we integrated tools in to our lives.    But when we participate in systems this choice is taken away from us, or at least we don't recognize it. 

Michael