E.F. Schumacher
The cultivation and expansion of needs is the antithesis of wisdom. ~ E.F. Schumacher
German-born British economist E.F. Schumacher (1911–1977) was a man who appreciated proportion. Schumacher understood that there are limits to growth in a world with finite resources and knew the psychological need for people to live productive lives. In Small Is Beautiful (1973), Schumacher argued that capitalism delivered higher living standards at the cost of deteriorating culture. His writings ran counter to mainstream opinion, which celebrated economic growth, economies of scale, and technological advance. Schumacher advocated economic self-sufficiency for developing countries, and the application of appropriate, not necessarily advanced, technology.
Production from local resources for local needs is the most rational way of economic life. ~ E.F. Schumacher