ABC: The Alphabetization of the Popular Mind

by Ivan Illich, Barry Sanders

Traces the historical evolution of written language, public literacy, and libraries; assesses the impact of the alphabet on thought processes and memory as well as society; and analyzes the potential effects of the current erosion of literacy on the future

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Philosophy, Linguistics, Education, Language, Books About Books

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1988

About the author

Ivan Illich was an Austrian philosopher, Roman Catholic priest and critic of the institutions of contemporary western culture and their effects of the provenance and practice of education, medicine, work, energy use, and economic development.

Reviews

[A · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of three books that I know of (at the moment) crucial to understand the evolution of consciousness throughout history. This one is a concise but extremely impactful look at how writing changes thought. We are, simply put, not functioning the same way neanderthals functioned when they only spoke. With the addition of writing and now the digital sphere, our minds are actually functioning differently and were transformed by the very media they put their thoughts down upon.

The other two books are Julian Jaynes's Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind and Jean Gebser's Ever-Present Origin. Check them out!

[Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

ABC is a beautiful, sweeping text on the deep changes in self, memory, imagination, and law that accompanied the advent of written, alphabetic language in the West.

[MIke Lubin · Rating 4 out of 5]

ABC - the Alphabetization of the Popular Mind
The loss of literacy, language becoming information systems
mathematization of ordinary speech
sociogenesis of the modern human body
describing history without analyzing its contemporary language is like idle talk "natural historian" or "tattle tales"
Herodotus saw myths as children storytelling, not historical
oral history provides nuggets of frozen speech
reading is the retelling of familiar content according to rules
logograms -- image represents single idea, but no idea how its pronounced
syllabary
phonetic script -- sounds representing images
the world of the living constantly makes contact with the world of the dead
phonetic transcription allows us to create intergenerational memory
The Aenid can be paraphrased, but Homer's words cannot be pryed away from its meaning
meditation is new knowledge with the appearance that it is the same -- the opposite of recognition
recollection -- memory palace, to remember a linear speech
text in order to maintain debts accounts trust
oaths
signature
reference
to scribe vs to translate, one is based in more sensory the other is narrative symbolism, acmeism vs symbolism
parlance vs. ___ grammar vs symbolism
standardizing language via education as a means of freedom (universal communication and connection) or power and control (i.e. removing artistic vernacular)
The story of beowulf references each of the oration storytellers as a perennial line of objective storytelling-- starting with the creation story of. heaven and earth. it is infinitely self referential to all those whove previously told the story. Beowulf himself in the story refers to his own heroic journies
autobiography is born out of hubris
a rich imagination is as useful as a sharp memory
writing a story in the vernacular makes us think the character is dumb , when in reality, its showing us that our understanding of language conforms us to what is most easily communicable rather than trying to understand the other person in their entirety
the unusual vernacular prevents it from being easily translated, thus freezing it
Does our own formality imprison us from talking about freedom

[Veronica Swan · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Just as the unintended byproducts of industry have penetrated, reshaped, and degraded most anything that we see, touch, breathe, or eat, so have these waste products of terminologies affected ordinary language. Much of this terminological waste merely generates noise in everyday conversation and can be compared with the dull expanses of cement that economic growth has produced.”

[Michael Compton · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some interesting ideas about the differences between orality and literacy, but the book's opaque, declamatory style left me wanting both less and more. The writers seem to think startling assertions and clever wordplay are enough to carry the day, but I would have liked more evidence and argument.

[Storm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Learned more about what the alphabet did to minds since I stopped singing the song and put the alphabet to heart.

[Sally · Rating 2 out of 5]

Written in an absolute tone that I found off putting, still the authors have interesting things to say about attitudes toward language and the self in oral and literate societies. However, I find the idea that literacy allowed people to invent the self and memory as implausible as Bloom's theory that Shakespeare's works created the sense of self.

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

a look at the effects of written language on our memories and our minds-- makes a lot of wild claims that i wouldn't believe for a second, but will nonetheless be thinking over for many, many seconds to come...

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating how standardizing grammar in 1492 corresponds directly and explicitly with empire building.

[ger · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd give this book 5 stars for provoking startling examinations of how I had thought about a lot of stuff. Illich always does that for me but it does drag in places, so 4 it gets. Interesting, erudite and fascinating. Both authors and book.