On the 17th of March 2022, Christopher Alexander, the architect and mathematician, passed away. Alexander, whose intellectual influence extended far beyond architecture and urban planning, gave the impetus to several central ideas in modern software development, such as wikis, agile, and object-oriented programming. But his main contribution was in vernacular architecture – that is architecture without architects – where houses are built gradually by the people who live in them.
We have homeschooled our children from the start (our oldest is now in her first year of university) and over the last decade have formed co-operatives and learning communities similar to the ones described. When organizing our homeschool co-op, I draw on the expertise of the parents which has given us a rich variety of classes and immersion experiences from learning about neuropsychological testing and Latin to processing a deer carcass and animal husbandry. This fall we are planning on offering classes in rhetoric and debate as well as traditional survival knowledge such as canning, woodworking, and orienteering. Many of the children live in the same neighbourhood and will roam the forest, fields, and each others refrigerators.
Also, the "special bike lanes suitable for children" etc. idea is very related to https://www.takingchildrenseriously.com/ and the claim that children are a group of society which is unfairly being disadvantaged and coerced.
The working in public is a great idea. I wonder if we lack the incentive structures to make it more common?
Fascinating essay! I will be curious to delve further into Alexander's work. I had recently published a post on John Taylor Gatto's work https://schooloftheunconformed.substack.com/p/how-to-train-sheeple, which reflects many of the themes you address.
We have homeschooled our children from the start (our oldest is now in her first year of university) and over the last decade have formed co-operatives and learning communities similar to the ones described. When organizing our homeschool co-op, I draw on the expertise of the parents which has given us a rich variety of classes and immersion experiences from learning about neuropsychological testing and Latin to processing a deer carcass and animal husbandry. This fall we are planning on offering classes in rhetoric and debate as well as traditional survival knowledge such as canning, woodworking, and orienteering. Many of the children live in the same neighbourhood and will roam the forest, fields, and each others refrigerators.
Thanks again for the added inspiration!
Also, the "special bike lanes suitable for children" etc. idea is very related to https://www.takingchildrenseriously.com/ and the claim that children are a group of society which is unfairly being disadvantaged and coerced.