
E. F. “Fritz” Schumacher was a profound, influential thinker and economist, and this fascinating biography traces his life: from his early years in Germany and his move to England and internment during World War II, through to his later years, with the publication of Small Is Beautiful and the worldwide fame that resulted. Schumacher, at a time of unlimited economic growth, challenged this ideology and proposed an approach that recognized the impossibility of continuous growth in a finite world, and warned against the world's increasing dependence on oil. He was a key figure in the development of the environmental movement and was adamantly opposed to what he saw as violent solutions to economic problems, arguing against nuclear energy and advocating human-scale technology and organic cultivation. Schumacher's particular genius was to bring together the theoretical and the practical. He set up the Intermediate Technology Development Group (now Practical Action) to provide small-scale technology for developing countries, and his people-centered approach to development has now been adopted throughout the world. Alias Papa, written by his eldest daughter, shows how his thinking and beliefs changed and evolved as his rigorous and questioning search for truth caused him to reflect on the events of his life and embark on a spiritual journey which was to change him as an economist and as a person.
This biography investigates the intellectual evolution and personal life of E. F. Schumacher, the economist who challenged the global obsession with unlimited growth. Barbara Wood, Schumacher's eldest daughter, utilizes personal archives and historical context to document his transition from a conventional economist to a pioneer of human-scale technology and environmental sustainability. The narrative examines how his internal search for truth and spiritual development informed his critique of modern industrialization and his advocacy for practical, people-centered economic solutions.
What You Will Find
Scope Limits
Readers and reviewers frequently note the intimate, accessible nature of the prose, which balances historical rigor with personal reflection. Experts highlight this work as a foundational text for understanding the human motivations behind the environmental and intermediate technology movements.
Page Count:
416
Publication Date:
1985-01-01
Publisher:
Oxford Univ Pr
ISBN-10:
0192818813
ISBN-13:
9780192818812
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