SYSTEMS | Extractivism Alternatives

Satish Kumar on Peace, Nature, and Schumacher College (2 of 4)

In this four-part interview, Satish Kumar shares his views on peace, our relationship with nature, and what led him to found Schumacher College in 1991. Among those who inspire him are Vinoba Bhave, Mahatma Gandhi, Bertrand Russell, and E.F. Schumacher.

Satish Kumar shares with Kakoli Mitra what Schumacher College was like after its founding. Schumacher College began with a small short course on Gaia Theory led by James Lovelock. As Mr. Kumar explains it, until James Lovelock, most Euro (of European descent) scientists saw nature as inanimate; James Lovelock was the first Euro scientist to say that the earth is a living organism. Soon Schumacher College was attracting leading thinkers and activists from around the world including Vandana Shiva, Jonathan Porritt, Charlene Spretnak, George Monbiot, Helena Norberg Hodge and many others. Mr. Kumar and his colleagues have been running Schumacher College for 35 years. The University of Plymouth began accrediting courses soon after the College’s founding, so that students could obtain a degree. Schumacher College is a living example of holistic education: students live and practice what they learn. For Mr. Kumar holistic science is not only about matter and measure, but about meaning. He remarks that science is being used for the dissection and consumption of nature, becoming the reason for the climate crisis and other problems we face today. Without spiritual values, science can become destructive. It is the same with economics. Over 20,000 people from 80 different countries have been students at Schumacher College. Many of them have started Schumacher-type activities in their own countries.

author Satish Kumar (he), a peace pilgrim, life-long activist, and former Jain monk, has been an advocate for global change for over 60 years. In his ecology-rooted work, he is inspired by Vinoba Bhave, Mahatma Gandhi, and E.F. Schumacher.
author_affiliation South Asia | Rajasthan
residence United Kingdom
organizational Schumacher College