Description
Book SynopsisA collection of writings from Dalmatian-Austrian philosopher, Roman Catholic priest, and radical cultural critic Ivan Illich. Focuses on Illich’s shorter writings from his early publications through the rise of his remarkable intellectual career, making available works that had fallen into undue obscurity.
Trade Review“Ivan Illich was one of the most interesting thinkers of the twentieth century, profound and incapable of being pigeonholed. In this collection of writings one can trace the connection between Illich’s radical critiques of bureaucratic, managerial modes of production in both church and state and his deep spiritual sense that vulnerability to God and to other people is necessary for a life that is truly alive. Illich’s thought and spirit remain surprisingly relevant in the current cultural context.”
—William T. Cavanaugh,author of The Myth of Religious Violence: Secular Ideology and the Roots of Modern Conflict
“Ivan Illich breaks through the haze of contemporary humanism and unabashedly affirms ‘the autonomy of the ludicrous in face of the useful’ and the ‘spontaneous as opposed to the rationalized and planned.’ Carefully read these idiosyncratic essays: they are a bracing antidote to your cherished ways of seeing—and living.”
—Jerry Brown, former governor of California
“We tend to normalize the teaching of the Gospels, but then someone like Ivan Illich comes along and shows us how radical it is. This collection offers a series of reminders of Illich’s ability to surprise us and wrench us out of the ruts that our thinking easily slides into. Whether it is about the Kingdom, virginity, or death, and whether we agree or not, Illich’s insights open up new avenues of understanding.”
—Charles Taylor,author of Multiculturalism and “The Politics of Recognition”
“This collection is full of such sage wisdom, and not only about death. It is assembled by the competent and committed hands of Valentina Borremans and Sajay Samuel, and sharply addresses the shortcomings of the Catholic Church to which Illich remained committed, and the church’s complicated cultural embeddedness and expansion in the 20th century. It develops prophetic-like analyses of how the church can regain, especially in Latin America, its sense of pride in a radical balance of independence and unity.”
—Jason W. Alvis Reading Religion
