Introducing Convivial Into Globish

Copyright ©2014 Mohsen BANAN

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Contents

• 1  This Essay Is In Globish
• 2  Part of the Evolution of Globish Series
• 3  Ivan Illich’s Concept and The Label: "Conviviality"
• 4  Ivan Illich’s Tools For Conviviality
• 5  Contexts for Usages of the Word "Conviviality"
  • 5.1  Convivial Vs Industrial Classification

1  This Essay Is In Globish

This essay is in Globish. It is not in Anglo-American English.

See, “Introducing Globish into Globish”, [1] for a description of Globish. That document also includes references to use of certain specific words and concepts relevant to this essay.

The intended audience for this essay is all of humanity.

Some concepts developed in this essay stands separate from American and Western values. Some concepts developed in this essay reject American and Western values. Western readers of this essay need to pay extra attention, as many of their assumptions are not ours.

2  Part of the Evolution of Globish Series

This essay is part of a series of essays, where we introduce new words and concepts into Globish

See “Introducing Globish into Globish”, PLPC-120038, [1], for a list of other sister essays.

The context for our own use of these enhancements to Globish is a model inversion to the manner of existance of Internet Services called: The Libre-Halaal ByStar Digital Ecosystem, – http://www.by-star.net.

An overview of this global effort is provided in a document titled:

The Libre-Halaal ByStar Digital Ecosystem
A Unified and Non-Proprietary Model For Autonomous Internet Services
A Moral Alternative To The Proprietary American Digital Ecosystem
http://www.by-star.net/PLPC/180016 — [2]

In that document we present a complete picture for establishing a model and process that can redirect the manner of existence of software and Internet services towards safeguarding humanity. We also describe the framework that is already in place for collaboration and we invite you to participate in this work.

3  Ivan Illich’s Concept and The Label: "Conviviality"

The concept of Conviviality that we introduce into Globish is based on Ivan Illich’s “Tools For Conviviality”.

Tools are intrinsic to social relationships. An individual relates himself in action to his society through the use of tools that he actively masters, or by which he is passively acted upon.

To the degree that he masters his tools, he can invest the world with his meaning; to the degree that he is mastered by his tools, the shape of the tool determines his own self-image. Convivial tools are those which give each person who uses them the greatest opportunity to enrich the environment with the fruits of his or her vision. Industrial tools deny this possibility to those who use them and they allow their designers to determine the meaning and expectations of others. Most tools today cannot be used in a convivial fashion.

4  Ivan Illich’s Tools For Conviviality

Illich takes the word "Convivial" from the original Spanish/French/Italian context. Which is very different from the English usage. English speakers are at a disadvantage in the context of this concept.

Illich then focuses that notion of "Living Together" – not happiness/joyfullness – to the relationship between Tools and Tool-Users (people). While that relationship has societal ramifications, that is a side effect. Hence, the focus is on the Nature of the Tool.

Illich explicitly introduces "Industrial" as opposite of Convivial – "anti-convivial".

Convivial and Industrial then form a range (a spectrum). They are not absolutes. And they are context dependent and dynamic. A tractor vs plow consideration can be Industrial or Convivial depending on where and when.

Now, if we were to apply that Convivial/Industrial spectrum to say, qmail vs Sendmail or djbdn vs bind, I am saying that qmail falls more on the Convivial side and Sendmail more on the Industrial side.

Much of the conviviality of qmail comes from its harmony with conviviality of Unix.

Other attributes typically desired from software (tools) such as reliability, security, performance, portability, scalability, flexibility, generesity, ease of use and administration, cost-effectiveness, ... are then all ramification of The Convivial Design. Because the Tool-User is in control and able to express himself (instead of becoming an expression) those attributes emerge. But the source of those attributes is the convivial design.

Tools For Conviviality is a complex essay (the best of Illich’s in my opinion). I have had to read it more than once to catch various subtleties.

5  Contexts for Usages of the Word "Conviviality"

Context for usage of this word at this time is mostly software design.

5.1  Convivial Vs Industrial Classification

Let’s create a taxonomy for digital tools based on their manner-of-existence and their relationship with their users.

So, we have these two dimensions:

• manner-of-existence: Libre-Halaal or Proprietary-Haraam
• User-Relationship: Convivial or Industrial

Based on these two dimensions we end up with 4 Quadrants which are illustrated in Figure 1.

• Libre-Halaal and Convivial: ByStar Libre-Halaal Digital Ecosystem
• Libre-Halaal and Industrial: Some Of The Free and Open Source Software (Movement)
• Proprietary-Haraam and Industrial: American Digital Ecosystem (Micorosoft, Google, Facebook)
• Proprietary-Haraam and Convivial: Void By Definition (AT&T Unix before there was Libre-Halaal Software)

So, the Libre-Halaal and Convivial is the place to be.

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Figure 1: Libre-Halaal/Proprietary-Haraam and Convivial/Industrial Quadrants

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References

[1]

" Mohsen BANAN ". " introducing globish into globish ". Permanent Libre Published Content "120038", Autonomously Self-Published, "August" 2013. http://mohsen.banan.1.byname.net/PLPC/120038.

[2]

" Mohsen BANAN ". " the libre-halaal bystar digital ecosystem a unified and non-proprietary model for autonomous internet services a moral alterantive to the proprietary american digital ecosystem ". Permanent Libre Published Content "180016", Autonomously Self-Published, "September" 2013. http://www.by-star.net/PLPC/180016.