Difference between revisions of "Convivial tools"

The concept of Convivial Tools was developed by Ivan Illich in his book Tools for Conviviality (1973). Illich built upon ideas formulated by the Appropriate Technology and Whole Earth movements in the late nineteen-sixties, adding to these his own concern that ordinary people should take back for themselves the use of knowledge that has been progressively monopolized by professional elites.

Convivial Tools can be defined as tools which allow the user to operate with independent efficiency, and with minimal reliance on external expertise. The term applies in particular to tools that are developed and maintained by the commmunity that uses them. Examples of such communities are the groups that invented the personal computer in the nineteen-seventies, the more recent open source software movements, and the entire participatory culture of the Web 2.0.