Small is Beautiful by E.F. Schumacher
So apparently there was a “Small is Beautiful” movement that started in the U.S. in the 1950s, and this book, though published only in 1973, seems to have come to embody it. It questioned the mantra of economic growth above everything, of happiness through material wealth, centralisation of political decision making as well as economic power, and the sustainability of it all. Instead of me rambling on further – here’s a Guardian article about the book and the ideas behind it. I’ll admit that I’d never heard of the book or the movement before but when I did come across it, I thought here’s something we could use now as much as ever. I suspect the book will read a bit dated, but would love to give it a try.
Amazon synopsis: *Small is Beautiful* is E. F. Schumacher’s stimulating and controversial study of economics and its purpose. This remarkable book examines our modern economic system – its use of resources and impact on how we live – questioning whether they reflect what we truly care about. The revolutionary ideas are as pertinent, inspirational and thought-provoking today as when they were first published in 1973.
If you don’t mind reading on screen – the book is available in full here: http://www.ditext.com/schumacher/small/small.html (though it seems to have been scanned from paper, and I’m not entirely sure about the license there 😃
http://www.ditext.com/schumacher/small/small.html
First suggested: November 2015
Supporters: Uli, Nela, Leon