Until around 1950, the German émigré Ernst Friedrich Schumacher (1911–1977) was a relatively conventional economist, believing in progress based on economic growth and developments in science and technology. Then, as he turned forty, he went through a period of prolonged self-examination and spiritual quest, which, amongst other things, led him to become critical of Western modernity. Developing a great interest in Buddhist spirituality and culture, in 1955 he travelled to Burma, where he spent three months as a United Nations consultant. His encounter there with the encroachment of Western development upon a traditional society proved pivotal for him, confirming his skepticism about modernity and stimulating him to write a renegade essay, “Economics in a Buddhist Country.” This experience in Burma shaped his work thereafter, as contributor to debates on development both East and West, as promoter of intermediate technology, and as author of the prophetic, popular book of 1973 Small Is Beautiful: A Study of Economics as if People Mattered.

中文翻译：

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EF 舒马赫和“佛教经济学”的诞生，1950 – 1973

直到 1950 年左右，德国移民 Ernst Friedrich Schumacher (1911-1977) 还是一个相对传统的经济学家，相信进步是基于经济增长和科学技术的发展。然后，在他四十岁的时候，他经历了一段长时间的自我反省和精神追求，除其他外，这导致他对西方现代性持批评态度。由于对佛教精神和文化产生了浓厚的兴趣，他于 1955 年前往缅甸，在那里他担任了三个月的联合国顾问。他在那里遭遇西方发展对传统社会的侵蚀，这对他来说至关重要，证实了他对现代性的怀疑，并促使他写了一篇叛逆的文章，“佛教国家的经济学”。在缅甸的这段经历塑造了他之后的作品，小就是美：对经济学的研究，好像人很重要.