E.F. Schumacher and The Religion of Economics

E F 'Fritz' Schumacher, author of 'Small Is Beautiful' talks about his philosophy in the midst of an Australian eucalyptus forest Made by M B Oldfield & Sons, 1978. Shortly after this film was made, Schumacher died in Switzerland on September 4, 1977.

In this film, Schumacher talks about how the religion of economics (making profit the only raison d'etre) ends up destroying everything that humanity really cares for; beauty, sympathy, harmony, nature, balance. With the backdrop a forestry operation in Western Australia, one sees how this idealogy has led to a battle with nature which ultimately puts us on the losing side. We have become even more of a rapacious society in the intervening years (this film was made 32 years ago!) and it has become painfully clear that  "we have become far to clever to survive without wisdom" given the power of technology and the potential (even likely) abuses of that power if placed into the hands of people who have not developed the requisite wisdom to use it. Schumacher argues that a society that uses precious non-renewable resources (oil, soil, the forest) without regard to conservation does so at its own peril. We must never lose sight of the fact that we intend to be permanent inhabitants of the planet and act as a conserver society.  We must insure that ...the asset never be destroyed and that its use is adequate to its value. Using 400 year old trees from a virgin forest for pulp wood to make paper which often eventually ends up on the side of the road as litter is not morally conscionable.

Watching this film gives good insight into Schumacher's thinking and is as timely now as ever, even more so given the state of the environment today.

Follow the link for the 43 minute film

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8588539436919289072#