Small Is Beautiful: A Study of Economics as if People Mattered (Vintage classics)

by Ernst F. Schumacher

technological unemployment appears necessary . . . ‘Another approach would be to start from the end of the most advanced technology and to adapt and adjust so as to meet the requirements of the intermediate . . . In some cases, the process would also involve adjustment to special local circumstances such as type of fuel or power available. ‘A third approach may be to conduct experimentation and research in a direct effort to establish intermediate technology. However, for this to be fruitfully undertaken it would be necessary to define, for the scientist and technician, the limiting economic circumstances. These are chiefly the scale of operations aimed at and the relative costs of capital and labour and the scale of their inputs – possible or desirable. Such direct effort