unconditional basic income, modesty, sufficiency

Abstract: It is argued that not the usually disapproved vices such as greed and insatiability are the main causes of dangerous economic growth, but rather a special kind of modesty instead. People have to give up a happy and self-determined life in order to earn their livelihood. This prevailing struggle for jobs coupled with productivity growth leads to the absurd necessity of boosting production in order to create work. A second growth-enhancing consequence of modesty is the widespread attempt to compensate for suffering from labour by consumption. An unconditional basic income could correct these maldevelopments: providing sufficiency without limiting human passions. Quite the contrary, people are given the opportunity to work less, they can choose more ambitiously a fulfilling lifestyle and leave the hamster wheel of labour and consumption.
Key words: unconditional basic income, modesty, sufficiency