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The Big Idol (Pamphlet by Richard B. Gregg)

Richard B. Gregg (1885–1974) was an American social philosopher said to be “the first American to develop a substantial theory of nonviolent resistance” based on the teachings of Mohandas K. Gandhi, and so influenced the thinking of Martin Luther King Jr., Aldous Huxley, civil-rights leader Bayard Rustin,  Schumacher Center Co-Founder Robert Swann, and the Peace Pledge Union, among others.

Gregg’s writing on non-violence and economics was a significant influence in the E.F. Schumacher Society and the Community Land Trust movement. Even before going to prison as a Conscientious Objector during World War II, Bob Swann had read Gregg on nonviolence and after prison met with him in person.  Gregg also influenced the Black activist and theorist,  Bayard Rustin, who was in prison with Swann (See the Chapter in Swann’s  autobiography regarding Gregg.) Multiple copies of Gregg’s The Big Idol were at the Institute for Community Economics, Bob’s office in Cambridge, influencing his critique of nationally issued currencies.

The Big Idol is a pamphlet discussing the nature of money, and it’s different functions. It was recommended at the time of publication by Henry Geiger in the journal MANAS. (Access the digital copy by clicking the “PDF” link above.)

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