In his book, Small is Beautiful, E. F. Schumacher sets forth the idea that land is sacred, and the use of land is not to be confused with the use of labor and capital, the other factors of production as accepted by economists. Schumacher suggests that land has three tasks: to keep man in touch with living nature; to humanize and ennoble man's wider habitat; and to bring forth the foodstuff and other materials necessary to maintain life. This research explores Schumacher's views regarding land, and compares them with Milton Friedman, Mich'l Parenti and the views expressed in Worker Empowerment, a series of essays edited by Jon Wisman.
Schumacher defines land as including not only the soil, but also the living things (plants and animals taken together), human beings, water and air which combined make up nature. Land is not made by man and once its properties are destroyed through clear cutting, over cultivation, overgrazing or other means, it is not easily renewable. There is a finite supply of land; additional land cannot be created. Schumacher suggests that civilizations have fallen because of land mismanagement, a fact which he laments is lost on many historians.
Schumacher finds that human beings have an obligation to the land and the animals on the land which is nothing less than noblesse oblige. Adam and Eve were given dominion over the earth to "dress it and keep it," not to tyrannize it. To this end, Schumacher calls for the ethical treatment of animals used on farms and in agriculture, and states his distress over the move toward agribusiness.
Schumacher does not consider the movement of the rural population to large urban centers as a boon to mankind. Indeed, Schumacher finds it ironic that the overpopulated urban centers have resulted in a migration to suburbs as the urban dwellers seek some of the sanctuary which they associate with rural living.
Schumacher is aghast at writers who are proponents of...