Small is beautiful

摘要

EF Schumacher believed that humanity's most important teachers are the "the marvellous system of living nature" and the wisdom of religious traditions. Admired by noted economist John Maynard Keynes, Schumacher promoted human-scale technology and organic farming, believing the earth is sacred and humans have a spiritual dimension. Yet the author of Small is Beautiful (1973) was once an aggressive rationalist who considered large-scale farming units more efficient than smallholdings. What changed him? According to his daughter and biographer Barbara Wood, one of the main factors was the Soil Association.