In 2001 Laszlo Zsolnai published a book entitled “Ecology, Economics, and Ethics” in Hungarian by Helikon Kiado. The book is organized around the idea of the early Greek concept of “oikos” which refers to a substantive way of economizing that can ensure the livelihood of people.
The book argues for regaining the “oikos.” It is not possible by large-scale companies, which aim at maintaining their international competitiveness and speeding economic growth. It can rather be achieved by small-scale communities that run their own economic affairs in a substantive way to meet most of their requirements through local trade and resources. Communities can develop economic cultures that enable them to live a good life within the limits of their own environment and at the same time, to maintain the integrity and stability of the natural world.