Scott Nearing

Scott Nearing ( born August 6, 1883 in Morris Run, Tioga County, Pennsylvania; † August 24, 1983 in Maine ) was an American author, teacher and farmer. In his writings and public speeches, he took a position on the fields of economics, politics, ethics, society, peace, equality, and ecology.

Life

He grew up in a relatively wealthy family, as his father worked in the timber trade and his grandfather was a director of a mine. After high school he studied at the University of Pennsylvania and makes 1905 degrees in economics and rhetoric. He postulated the then unheard thesis that industrial workers sold their labor power under value and therefore chronic " losses " imports. He also turned the public against the then widespread child labor, especially in the mining industry. In 1908 he married Nellie Seeds and 1912 his son John Scott was born. 1914 Robert was adopted.

Due to its commitment against child labor given the post in 1915 after nine years of teaching, terminated as a professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. In 1917, he lost because of his protests against the U.S. entry into the First World War a further teaching at the University of Toledo. The following process for undermining military strength, he was acquitted. His textbooks used until now as standard works of economics have been removed from the curriculum. 1917 to 1922 he was a member of the Socialist Party. In 1925 he separated from his wife Nellie Seeds and first traveled to the Soviet Union. 1927 he joined the Communist Party, of which he is excluded in 1930 because he published in the same year, The Twilight of Empire.

1932, at the height of the Great Depression, Nearing moved with his 20 -years-younger girlfriend Helen Nearing, who he met in 1929, on a rundown farm in Vermont. As a self-catering and the sale of self-produced maple syrup they made there the basis for their livelihood. After Vermont became increasingly accessible to tourists and the Nearings the stream of visitors was too much, they decided in 1952 for another new beginning and built a farm in Maine.

In his autobiography, The Making of a Radical ( dt A life against the current ), he describes himself as a convinced pacifist, socialist and vegetarian. He shared his activities as follows: four hours a day were devoted to earning a living on the farm, four hours of work as a writer and a further four hours social activities. Lectures, discussions, etc. His goal was always to lead a " good life" and looking for this very dedicated many of his works.

In 1973 he gets from the University of Pennsylvania the title "Honorary Professor Emeritus of Economics " award. A later attempt to redress after his release in 1915.

In 1981 he is one of the witnesses in the film Reds by and with Warren Beatty about John Reed and the Russian Revolution of 1917.

For his death, Nearing consciously decided by shortly after his 100th birthday, he took with him no food and only juices as well as in the last few days only drank water.

Bibliography

Scott Nearing published in his life more than 50 books and articles that can not be fully reproduced here.

Together with Helen Nearing: