Deschooling Society

by Ivan Illich

Harper & Row · 1971

In Deschooling Society, Ivan Illich makes a radical argument: schools do more harm than good. They create a demand for credentials that has nothing to do with learning, and in doing so they cripple the capacity of people to learn for themselves. This landmark book proposes learning webs and peer-matching networks as an alternative. Though written in 1971, its analysis of institutionalized education remains startlingly relevant.