The real problems of our planet are not economic or technical, they are philosophical. The philosophy of unbridled materialism is being challenged by events.
E. F. SchumacherRead
The key words of violent economics are urbanization, industrialization, centralization, efficiency, quantity, speed. . . . The problem of evolving a nonviolent way of economic life [in the West] and that of developing the underdeveloped countries may well turn out to be largely identical.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes the interconnectedness of violent economic practices and the challenge of creating a peaceful economic system.
E. F. Schumacher highlights the destructive elements inherent in violent economics, such as urbanization and industrialization, while suggesting that finding a nonviolent economic approach for both developed and developing nations may essentially be the same challenge. He urges a reconsideration of economic principles to foster a more humane and sustainable way of living.
Themes
EconomicsNonviolenceDevelopmentUrbanizationIndustrialization
In practice
Example use cases
During a talk on sustainability, one might quote Schumacher to illustrate the need for a nonviolent economic framework.
More from E. F. Schumacher
All quotes →The substance of man cannot be measured by Gross National Product.
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The printing press is either the greatest blessing or the greatest curse of modern times, sometimes one forgets which it is.
E. F. SchumacherRead
By means of trees, wildlife could be conserved, pollution decreased, and the beauty of our landscapes enhanced. This is the way, or at least one of the ways, to spiritual, moral, and cultural regeneration.
E. F. SchumacherRead
We still have to learn how to live peacefully, not only with our fellow men but also with nature and, above all, with those Higher Powers which have made nature and have made us; for, assuredly, we have not come about by accident and certainly have not made ourselves
E. F. SchumacherRead
The heart of the matter, as I see it, is the stark fact that world poverty is primarily a problem of two million villages, and thus a problem of two thousand million villagers.
E. F. SchumacherRead
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