WN: Introduction
Below is a clickable list of many of David Cayley’s Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s (CBC) about 50-minute-long podcasts. They were presented between 1980 and 2012, the latter date when he retired.
Who is David Cayley? To quote theologian Brad Jersak, Clarion Journal‘s curator: I think he’s truly among Canada’s greatest thinkers. Few who know his work would take issue with Brad’s assessment.
And to cite the Wikipedia article:
David Cayley is a Toronto-based Canadian writer and broadcaster, who is known for documenting the philosophy of prominent thinkers of the 20th century—Ivan Illich, Northrop Frye, George Grant, and René Girard. His work has been broadcast on CBC Radio One’s programme Ideas.
An expanded list of Cayley’s Works is to be found on his website here. The list includes the podcasts itemized, but is not clickable. I will encourage David, whom I’ve happily known since the early 1990s, to make everything clickable.
David possesses a rare ability to make some of the most convoluted yet brilliant thinkers understandable! He does that invariably with all whom he interviews. His mellifluous tones and straightforward arrangement of interview material on his broadcasts beguile that a “Renaissance Man” is at work. (He would likely laugh at such a view–then point to any number of whom he thinks are/were such. And what do I know? 🙂 )
He has just published a massive 560-page volume: Ivan Illich: An Intellectual Journey. (And right now (February 2021), Penn State University Press is offering a 30% discount.) David by the way has interviewed and written about Illich over many years.1
Indeed: every person or subject Cayley turns broadcast/written attention to is elevated for all willing to be taken on a grand “intellectual journey.” But he is a broadcaster, not an academic of the sort who writes mainly for his/her own peers or in his/her circumscribed field. His range of inquiry is astounding. For instance:
- His 24 hours of broadcasts on How To Think About Science, is fascinating throughout. Cayley interviewed many of the top philosophers of science in the world. (Yes, I listened to them all.) You may also read his subsequent book: Ideas on the Nature of Science. Though it does not include everything from the series. The full transcript may be found on Cayley’s website, and here.
- His five-part series on The Scapegoat: The Ideas of René Girard, developed not only a friendship between them, but Girard said upon listening to the series that it was to his mind the finest summation of his thought he had heard or read. If you visit The Colloquium on Violence and Religion website, you will find a vast array of scholars interacting and publishing about Girard on a wide spectrum of academic inquiry. So that statement points to no small accomplishment! (Incidentally, there is also much on this website about René Girard.)
- His final two 12-part broadcast series, planned initially as one unit, “The Myth of the Secular (2012) CBC Radio; and “After Atheism: New Perspectives on God and Religion” (2014) CBC Radio (also on his website), present some fascinating perspectives by leading thinkers. (Yes, I listened to them all too.)
- In my area of career interest, he did a 10-part series: Prison and Its Alternatives. It too developed into a book: The Expanding Prison: The Crisis in Crime and Punishment and the Search for Alternatives. (Yes, I also listened to them all.) A Canadian criminologist at the time, noted for her Restorative Justice work, Liz Elliott, told me there was nothing finer in the Restorative Justice Field. I agreed. (And no doubt something akin could be said of his work in many fields he probed.)
All Cayley’s books had their genesis in his broadcasts. His latest on Illich is only in part an exception.
Cayley comes out of the Anglican tradition. I told him a few times over the years that he should be made a “Doctor of the Church.” He always laughed, and said that would indeed have made his parents happy . . . Then it happened in 2010, when he received an Honorary Doctorate in Sacred Letters from Thornloe University, an Anglican Church of Canada affiliated institution.
Finally, go also for sure to his website, where you may browse and linger to your heart’s content! It is introduced by him thus:
For more than thirty years (1980-2012) I made radio documentaries for CBC Radio’s Ideas series. The most recent of the more than 250 programmes remain available on the Ideas website, but the rest languish unknown, unheard and inaccessible in the CBC Archives. Because the means are now available to keep these public broadcasts in circulation, I have developed this site in order to share this work with students, scholars and interested members of the public. From time to time I will post and introduce a new series until all this work is archived and available.
The podcast index lists the interviewees in every programme on the site. Links will connect you to the series that remain available from Ideas. Under Works you can find a catalogue of my books, articles and lectures, along with a complete and chronological inventory of my broadcasting work since 1980.
The Blog presents current reviews, lectures, and other occasional writings. The Transcripts page has transcriptions of most of the series I’ve posted. The CBC began making and selling transcripts of Ideas series in 1982 and gradually phased out this business after 2006, so there are some series from before and after these dates that are unavailable. There are also a few that I have only in hard copy. I will scan these and add them, as time allows.
Everything below is clickable. Enjoy your foraging and ruminating. A nurturing feast wherever you turn!
Footnotes:
The Rebellions of 1837, Part Three Posted: 19 Mar 2016 01:15 PM PDT
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The Rebellions of 1837, Part Four Posted: 19 Mar 2016 01:12 PM PDT
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Richard Cartwright and the Roots of Canadian Conservatism Posted: 05 Mar 2016 01:31 PM PST
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Richard Cartwright and the Roots of Canadian Conservatism, Part Two Posted: 05 Mar 2016 01:31 PM PST
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Richard Cartwright and the Roots of Canadian Conservatism, Part Three Posted: 05 Mar 2016 01:31 PM PST
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The Loyalists Posted: 28 Feb 2016 02:37 PM PST
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The Loyalists, Part Two Posted: 28 Feb 2016 02:35 PM PST
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Literacy: The Medium and the Message Posted: 21 Feb 2016 02:45 PM PST
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Literacy: The Medium and the Message Part Two Posted: 21 Feb 2016 02:45 PM PST
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Literacy: The Medium and the Message Part Three Posted: 21 Feb 2016 02:45 PM PST
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The Legacy of Harold Innis Posted: 18 Jan 2016 09:13 AM PST
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The Legacy of Harold Innis Part Two Posted: 18 Jan 2016 09:13 AM PST
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The Legacy of Harold Innis Part Three Posted: 18 Jan 2016 09:12 AM PST
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Charles Taylor: The Malaise of Modernity Posted: 31 Oct 2015 01:53 PM PDT
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The Malaise of Modernity Part Two Posted: 31 Oct 2015 01:53 PM PDT
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The Malaise of Modernity Part Three Posted: 31 Oct 2015 01:52 PM PDT
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The Malaise of Modernity Part Four Posted: 31 Oct 2015 01:52 PM PDT
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The Malaise of Modernity Part Five Posted: 31 Oct 2015 01:51 PM PDT
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History Beneath the Skin Posted: 03 Oct 2015 01:08 PM PDT
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History Beneath the Skin Part Two Posted: 03 Oct 2015 01:03 PM PDT
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Beyond Institutions Posted: 17 Aug 2015 12:19 PM PDT
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Beyond Institutions Part Two Posted: 17 Aug 2015 12:19 PM PDT
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Beyond Institutions Part Three Posted: 17 Aug 2015 12:18 PM PDT
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Beyond Institutions Part Four Posted: 17 Aug 2015 12:18 PM PDT
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Beyond Institutions Part Five Posted: 17 Aug 2015 12:18 PM PDT
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Beyond Institutions Part Six Posted: 17 Aug 2015 12:18 PM PDT
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To Hurt or To Heal Posted: 14 Jun 2015 03:51 PM PDT
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To Hurt or To Heal Part Two Posted: 14 Jun 2015 03:49 PM PDT
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To Hurt or To Heal Part Three Posted: 14 Jun 2015 03:47 PM PDT
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To Hurt or To Heal Part Four Posted: 14 Jun 2015 03:45 PM PDT
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To Hurt or To Heal Part Five Posted: 14 Jun 2015 03:41 PM PDT
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Prison and Its Alternatives Posted: 08 Jun 2015 12:26 PM PDT
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Prison and Its Alternatives Part Two Posted: 08 Jun 2015 12:10 PM PDT
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Prison and Its Alternatives Part Three Posted: 08 Jun 2015 12:10 PM PDT
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Prison and Its Alternatives Part Four Posted: 08 Jun 2015 12:09 PM PDT
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Prison and Its Alternatives Part Five Posted: 08 Jun 2015 12:08 PM PDT
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Prison and Its Alternatives Part Six Posted: 08 Jun 2015 12:08 PM PDT
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Prison and Its Alternatives Part Seven Posted: 08 Jun 2015 12:08 PM PDT
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Prison and Its Alternatives Part Eight Posted: 08 Jun 2015 12:08 PM PDT
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Prison and Its Alternatives Part Nine Posted: 08 Jun 2015 12:07 PM PDT
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Prison and Its Alternatives Part Ten Posted: 08 Jun 2015 12:07 PM PDT
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The God Who May Be Posted: 23 May 2015 09:20 AM PDT
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The God Who May Be Part Two Posted: 23 May 2015 09:19 AM PDT
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The God Who May Be Part Three Posted: 23 May 2015 09:18 AM PDT
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Between Two Ages Posted: 09 May 2015 09:48 AM PDT
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Between Two Ages Part Two Posted: 09 May 2015 09:48 AM PDT
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Between Two Ages Part Three Posted: 09 May 2015 09:48 AM PDT
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Between Two Ages Part Four Posted: 09 May 2015 09:48 AM PDT
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Between Two Ages Part Five Posted: 09 May 2015 09:48 AM PDT
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Life As Idol Posted: 19 Apr 2015 03:19 PM PDT
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The Origins of the Modern Public Posted: 07 Apr 2015 02:14 PM PDT
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The Origins of the Modern Public Part Two Posted: 07 Apr 2015 02:14 PM PDT
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The Origins of the Modern Public Part Three Posted: 07 Apr 2015 02:14 PM PDT
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The Origins of the Modern Public Part Four Posted: 07 Apr 2015 02:14 PM PDT
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The Origins of the Modern Public Part Five Posted: 07 Apr 2015 02:14 PM PDT
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The Origins of the Modern Public Part Six Posted: 07 Apr 2015 02:13 PM PDT
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The Origins of the Modern Public Part Seven Posted: 07 Apr 2015 02:13 PM PDT
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The Origins of the Modern Public Part Eight Posted: 07 Apr 2015 02:13 PM PDT
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The Origins of the Modern Public Part Nine Posted: 07 Apr 2015 02:13 PM PDT
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The Origins of the Modern Public Part Ten Posted: 07 Apr 2015 02:12 PM PDT
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The Origins of the Modern Public Part Eleven Posted: 07 Apr 2015 02:12 PM PDT
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The Origins of the Modern Public Part Twelve Posted: 07 Apr 2015 02:11 PM PDT
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The Origins of the Modern Public Part Thirteen Posted: 07 Apr 2015 02:11 PM PDT
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The Origins of the Modern Public Part Fourteen Posted: 07 Apr 2015 02:11 PM PDT
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The Myth of the Secular Posted: 21 Mar 2015 01:41 PM PDT
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The Myth of the Secular Part Two Posted: 21 Mar 2015 01:40 PM PDT
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The Myth of the Secular Part Three Posted: 21 Mar 2015 01:39 PM PDT
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The Myth of the Secular Part Four Posted: 21 Mar 2015 01:38 PM PDT
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The Myth of the Secular Part Five Posted: 21 Mar 2015 01:37 PM PDT
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The Myth of the Secular Part Six Posted: 21 Mar 2015 01:36 PM PDT
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The Myth of the Secular Part Seven Posted: 21 Mar 2015 01:35 PM PDT
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On Violence and Religion Posted: 14 Mar 2015 12:32 PM PDT
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On Violence and Religion Part Two Posted: 14 Mar 2015 12:32 PM PDT
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The Scapegoat: René Girard’s Anthropology of Violence and Religion Posted: 08 Mar 2015 09:48 AM PDT
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The Scapegoat: René Girard’s Anthopology of Violence and Religion Part Two Posted: 08 Mar 2015 09:48 AM PDT
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The Scapegoat: René Girard’s Anthropology of Violence and Religion Part Three Posted: 08 Mar 2015 09:48 AM PDT
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The Scapegoat: René Girard’s Anthopology of Violence and Religion Part Four Posted: 08 Mar 2015 09:47 AM PDT
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The Scapegoat: René Girard’s Anthropology of Violence and Religion Part Five Posted: 08 Mar 2015 09:47 AM PDT
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John McKnight: Community and Its Counterfeits Posted: 01 Mar 2015 09:51 AM PST
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John McKnight: Community and Its Counterfeits Part Two Posted: 01 Mar 2015 09:51 AM PST
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John McKnight: Community and Counterfeits Part Three Posted: 01 Mar 2015 09:50 AM PST
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George Grant: The Moving Image of Eternity Posted: 16 Feb 2015 02:49 PM PST
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George Grant: The Moving Image of Eternity Part Two Posted: 16 Feb 2015 02:49 PM PST
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George Grant: The Moving Image of Eternity Part Three Posted: 16 Feb 2015 02:49 PM PST
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William Blake: Prophet of a New Age Posted: 07 Feb 2015 09:43 AM PST
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William Blake: Prophet of a New Age Part Two Posted: 07 Feb 2015 09:42 AM PST
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William Blake: Prophet of a New Age Part Three Posted: 07 Feb 2015 09:40 AM PST
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Crime Control As Industry Posted: 24 Jan 2015 01:39 PM PST
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Crime Control As Industry Part Two Posted: 24 Jan 2015 01:38 PM PST
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Crime Control As Industry Part Three Posted: 24 Jan 2015 01:38 PM PST
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Puppet Uprising: The Art of Peter Schumann’s Bread and Puppet Theater Posted: 09 Jan 2015 10:00 AM PST
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Puppet Uprising: The Art of Peter Schumann’s Bread and Puppet Theater Part Two Posted: 09 Jan 2015 10:00 AM PST
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Puppet Uprising: The Art of Peter Schumann’s Bread and Puppet Theater Part Three Posted: 09 Jan 2015 09:59 AM PST
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Puppet Uprising: The Art of Peter Schumann’s Bread and Puppet Theater Part Four Posted: 09 Jan 2015 09:58 AM PST
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Doctoring the Family Posted: 27 Dec 2014 12:10 PM PST
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Doctoring the Family Part Two Posted: 27 Dec 2014 11:50 AM PST
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Doctoring the Family Part Three Posted: 27 Dec 2014 11:47 AM PST
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Doctoring The Family Part Four Posted: 27 Dec 2014 11:13 AM PST
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The Corruption of Christianity: Ivan Illich on Gospel, Church and Society Posted: 11 Dec 2014 07:20 PM PST
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Corruption of Christianity Part Two Posted: 11 Dec 2014 07:10 PM PST
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Corruption of Christianity Part Three Posted: 11 Dec 2014 07:00 PM PST
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Corruption of Christianity Part Four Posted: 11 Dec 2014 06:50 PM PST
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Corruption of Christianity Part Five Posted: 11 Dec 2014 06:39 PM PST
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Part Moon, Part Travelling Salesman: Conversations with Ivan Illich Posted: 06 Nov 2014 09:46 AM PST
Part Moon, Part Travelling Salesman: Conversations with Ivan Illich
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Part Moon, Part Travelling Salesman Part 2 Posted: 06 Nov 2014 09:45 AM PST
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Part Moon, Part Travelling Salesman Part 3 Posted: 06 Nov 2014 09:44 AM PST
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Part Moon, Part Travelling Salesman Part 4 Posted: 06 Nov 2014 09:43 AM PST
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Part Moon, Part Travelling Salesman Part 5 Posted: 06 Nov 2014 09:40 AM PST
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Enlightened By Love: The LIfe and Thought of Simone Weil Posted: 22 Oct 2014 02:05 PM PDT
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Enlightened by Love Part 2 Posted: 22 Oct 2014 02:04 PM PDT
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Enlightened By Love Part 3 Posted: 22 Oct 2014 02:03 PM PDT
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Enlightened By Love Part 4 Posted: 22 Oct 2014 02:01 PM PDT
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Enlightened By Love Part 5 Posted: 22 Oct 2014 02:00 PM PDT
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Markets and Society: the Life and Thought of Karl Polanyi Posted: 14 Oct 2014 09:04 AM PDT
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Markets and Society Part 2 Posted: 14 Oct 2014 09:03 AM PDT
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Markets and Society Part 3 Posted: 14 Oct 2014 09:02 AM PDT
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Markets and Society Part 4 Posted: 14 Oct 2014 09:01 AM PDT
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Markets and Society Part 5 Posted: 14 Oct 2014 09:00 AM PDT
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- You may ask as well: Who is Ivan Illich? Penn State University Press has this to say:
In the eighteen years since Ivan Illich’s death, David Cayley has been reflecting on the meaning of his friend and teacher’s life and work. Now, in Ivan Illich: An Intellectual Journey, he presents Illich’s body of thought, locating it in its own time and retrieving its relevance for ours.
Ivan Illich (1926–2002) was a revolutionary figure in the Roman Catholic Church and in the wider field of cultural criticism that began to take shape in the 1960s. His advocacy of a new, de-clericalized church and his opposition to American missionary programs in Latin America, which he saw as reactionary and imperialist, brought him into conflict with the Vatican and led him to withdraw from direct service to the church in 1969. His institutional critiques of the 1970s, from Deschooling Society to Medical Nemesis, promoted what he called institutional or cultural revolution. The last twenty years of his life were occupied with developing his theory of modernity as an extension of church history. Ranging over every phase of Illich’s career and meditating on each of his books, Cayley finds Illich to be as relevant today as ever and more likely to be understood, now that the many convergent crises he foresaw are in full public view and the church that rejected him is paralyzed in its “folkloric” shell.
Not a conventional biography, though attentive to how Illich lived, Cayley’s book is “continuing a conversation” with Illich that will engage anyone who is interested in theology, philosophy, history, and the Catholic Church.[↩]
