PHILOSOPHER

Ivan Illich

1926 - 2002

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Ivan Dominic Illich ( iv-AHN IL-itch; German: [ˈiːvan ˈɪlɪtʃ]; 4 September 1926 – 2 December 2002) was an Austrian Catholic priest, theologian, philosopher, and social critic. His 1971 book Deschooling Society criticises modern society's institutional approach to education, an approach that demotivates and alienates individuals from the process of learning. His 1975 book Medical Nemesis, importing to the sociology of medicine the concept of medical harm, argues that industrialised society widely impairs quality of life by overmedicalising life, pathologizing normal conditions, creating false dependency, and limiting other more healthful solutions. Read more on Wikipedia

His biography is available in different languages on Wikipedia. Ivan Illich is the 271st most popular philosopher (down from 241st in 2019), the 152nd most popular biography from Austria (down from 121st in 2019) and the 6th most popular Austrian Philosopher.

Ivan Illich is most famous for his book, Deschooling Society. In this book, he argues that schools are not the best way to educate people, and that they actually do more harm than good.

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Among PHILOSOPHERS

Among philosophers, Ivan Illich ranks 271 out of 1,267. Before him are Johann Reuchlin, Pat Robertson, Vladimir Solovyov, Paramahansa Yogananda, Sebastian Brant, and Raymond Aron. After him are Jerome of Prague, Panaetius, Ibn al-Nafis, Karl Robert Eduard von Hartmann, Aśvaghoṣa, and Andronicus of Rhodes.

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1926, Ivan Illich ranks 36. Before him are Sydney Chaplin, Beji Caid Essebsi, Yusuf al-Qaradawi, Paul Bocuse, Leopoldo Galtieri, and Henry Molaison. After him are Valdas Adamkus, Allen Ginsberg, John Coltrane, Ingeborg Bachmann, David Attenborough, and Jack Brabham. Among people deceased in 2002, Ivan Illich ranks 23. Before him are Vavá, Chuck Jones, Camilo José Cela, James Coburn, B. D. Jatti, and Fritz Walter. After him are Rod Steiger, Linda Lovelace, Alexander Prokhorov, Max Perutz, Victor Weisskopf, and Nándor Hidegkuti.

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In Austria

Among people born in Austria, Ivan Illich ranks 152 out of 1,424. Before him are Helmut Berger (1944), Karl Böhm (1894), Maria Mandl (1912), Albert III, Duke of Austria (1349), Ernst Happel (1925), and Aloys II, Prince of Liechtenstein (1796). After him are Maria Leopoldina of Austria (1797), Frederick the Fair (1289), Franz Stangl (1908), Archduchess Maria Anna of Austria (1718), Albert VII, Archduke of Austria (1559), and Nikola IV Zrinski (1508).

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Among PHILOSOPHERS In Austria

Among philosophers born in Austria, Ivan Illich ranks 6. Before him are Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889), Karl Popper (1902), Martin Buber (1878), Paul Feyerabend (1924), and Josef Breuer (1842). After him are Otto Weininger (1880), Alfred Schütz (1899), Otto Neurath (1882), Jean Améry (1912), Karl Leonhard Reinhold (1757), and André Gorz (1923).

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