Below is a sampling of comments on the political philosophy PROUT (the Progressive Utilization Theory) and its initial propounder, P.R. Sarkar. These comments characterize PROUT from a wide range of perspectives, reflecting the diverse focuses of the speakers.
Economist Hazel Henderson emphasizes PROUT’s contributions to an anti-globalization analysis. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez lauds PROUT’s emphasis on cooperatives. Liberation theologist Leonardo Boff appreciates PROUT’s holistic vision of human liberation. Noam Chomsky values the equity and humanism of PROUT’s economic vision. Poet Robert Bly reflects on Sarkar’s living in his light-giving higher brain.
Represented among these commentators are people having diverse roles. They include presidents (Hugo Chavez and Gyani Singh), futurists (Johan Galtung and Sohail Inayatullah), economists (Jaroslav Vanek and Ravi Batra), political analysts (Howard Zinn and Noam Chomsky), liberation theologists (Leonardo Boff and Frei Betto), activists (Bette Hoover and Marcos Arruda), new paradigm thinkers (Mark Satin, Hazel Henderson and O.W. Markley), a socially responsible business advocate (Kit Bricca), and more. This diversity of praise attests to PROUT’s broad relevance to those who are socially engaged.
In their various national origins — coming from Russia, Norway, India, Australia, Brazil, America, Venezuela, Pakistan, and Czechoslovakia — these speakers indicate the global appeal of PROUT among progressive thinkers.
And, these speakers reflect, in their work and their character, exceptional examples of the best of the human spirit and intellect. They reflect greatness in themselves, and they hold deep appreciation for those things that have the capacity to nurture greatness in humanity as a whole.
PROUT is the theory of a self-reliant economic and political system that is spiritually rather than materialistically inspired. The goal is true human growth that satisfies basic needs. . . . Sarkar will probably stand out as one of the truly great thinkers in this century. He is an intellectual giant of our times.
— Johan Galtung; professor; winner of Right Livelihood Award; co-founder of the World Futures Studies Federation; author of 70 books on world politics, history and peace studies
P. R. Sarkar was one of the greatest modern philosophers of India.
— Gyani Zail Singh, former President of India
P. R. Sarkar is very important for all who yearn for a liberation which starts from economics and opens to a totality of personal and social human existence.
— Leonardo Boff, founder of Liberation Theology; author of more than 50 books
P. R. Sarkar provides us with a vision of the future that remembers the poor and the weak, that touches the hearts of all, that appeals to our deepest need to create a good society, a planetary civilization that is dynamic and ecologically balanced.
— Sohail Inayatullah, professor, Queensland University of Technology; World Futures Studies Federation council member; editorial board of Futures; author of many articles and several books, including Transcending Boundaries, Situating Sarkar: Tantra, Macrhohistory and Alternative Futures, Transforming Communication, and various Futures Studies multi-media packages
At last, someone who balanced the exoteric and esoteric, who loved his fellow humankind in a way that showed respect for people's day-to-day lives and did not leave them deserted in the here and now by preferring tomorrow's salvation.
— Paul Wildman, professor, Southern Cross University, Australia; author of over 60 articles, books and videos on community development
P. R. Sarkar, in his own way, is more than the equal of the great historian Arnold Toynbee. Sarkar not only illuminated the growth and inevitable decline that comes from the capitalist stage in societal evolution, but offers wise counsel on what to do instead.
— Oliver W. Markley, professor, University of Houston; author of Changing Images of Mankind
PROUT is an explicit and coherent alternative to Marxism and liberalism. PROUT is a synthesis of decentralist theory, Tantra, cooperative economics, transpersonal psychology, etc.
— Mark Satin, author of New Age Politics; former editor of New Options
After Capitalism: PROUT’s Vision for a New World is a book that we appreciate very much. It speaks about cooperatives, just like the food cooperatives in the food plan of our Agricultural Minister.
— Hugo Chavez, President of Venezuela
Alternative visions are crucial at this moment in history. PROUT’s cooperative model, based on cardinal human values and sharing the resources of the planet for the welfare of everyone, deserves our serious consideration.
— Noam Chomsky, professor, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; author of more than 70 books on linguistics, politics, and cognitive science; recipient of the 1988 Kyoto Prize
As PROUT advises, the best use of developmental finance is to develop cooperatives.
— Jaraslov Vanek, professor emeritus, Cornell University; author, The Participatory Economy
PROUT is spiritual and utopian, while remaining grounded in reality. Its analysis is intelligent and its vision inspiring.
— Howard Zinn, professor emeritus, Boston University: author of A People’s History of the United States
In generality and breadth, Sarkar’s theory of civilization surpasses all others espoused before, including the contributions by Marx, Toynbee, and Spengler.
— Ravi Batra, professor, Southern Methodist University; author of several books including The Myth of Free Trade, Greenspan’s Fraud, PROUT: Alternative to Capitalism and Communism, Muslim Civilization and the Crisis in Iran, and The Downfall of Capitalism and Communism
PROUT is an important contribution to rethinking the disastrous course of the current economic globalization.
— Hazel Henderson, economist; author of Beyond Globalization
PROUT is an alternative economic model that seeks to remedy the underlying causes of depressions. Its principles of economic democracy and planning can contribute to a solution that benefits all.
— Mark Friedman, mayor of El Cerrito, California; former director of the Alameda County Children and Families Commission; author of How to Prepare for the Coming Depression
Around the old reptile brain at the base of our skull was folded the mammal brain. Another brain called the ‘new brain’ has been folded around this one. Cold comes from the reptilian brain, warmth from the mammal brain, and light from the new brain. The new brain is where P.R. Sarkar lived.
— Robert Bly, poet and translator
The socially responsible business movement should look into Sarkar’s economy. Sarkar believes that the new economy should be created in service of a greater ideal than solely the maximization of individual profit.
— Kit Bricca, co-author of Business for Social Responsibility
The proposals of PROUT are the ethical summary of everything that humanity needs to accomplish universal fraternity. The importance of PROUT is that its vision of a new world is not just concerned with political, social and economic relationships, but also with education, gender relationships and spirituality.
— Frei Betto, Dominican friar and political activist; author of more than 45 books, including Fidel and Religion
After Capitalism: PROUT’s Vision for a New World includes a brilliant analysis of the perils of global capitalism, as well as rich spiritual teachings to envision a better world for the welfare of all. A must read for spiritual warriors and peace activists.
— Bette Hoover, Director of the Washington, DC office of the American Friends Service Committee
Sarkar’s NeoHumanism: The Liberation of Intellect is the greatest poem to the human spirit ever written.
— Evgeny Mikov, translator; Director of the Russian Noosphere Institute
I had no idea! I'm a Proutist! [upon hearing a presentation on PROUT]
— Trent Schroyer, chair of The Other Economic Summit
