John B. Cobb

John B. Cobb, Jr. (born February 9, 1925) is an American theologian, philosopher, and environmentalist.

Eastern View of Economics

 * Schumacher ... rightly saw that in the world today Buddhism is a more potent basis for resisting the economism that rules the West and through it most of the East.


 * Jesus said that we could not serve both God and wealth, and it is obvious that Western society is organized in the service of wealth.


 * Whereas traditional Christianity calls for the subordination of all other commitments to the commitment to God, Buddhism teaches us to give up all craving and attachment, just those aspects of the human psyche that ground economism.

Spiritual Bankruptcy: A Prophetic Call to Action (2010)

 * Economism is the view that the economy is the most important part of society and that the other dimensions such as politics and education should serve it. Economism has become the ruling ideology, not because of claims of economists, but because of the decisions of political leaders, financiers, corporate leaders, and the general public.