Abstract

Words such as conviviality and convivialism have recently appeared in the vocabulary of the social and political sciences, heralding a radical change of perspective about politics and economics, as a way of enhancing democracy and ensuring the protection of Planet Earth. But these words have a long history behind them, which have thickened their meanings, and sort of prepared them to represent those instances. At its very core, the idea of the social nature of human beings. Moving backwards, from the "Convivialist Manifesto" to Ivan Illich and to Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, this essay will try to show the role played by this idea in these different contexts.