Economic Thoughts of Swami Vivekananda

Abstract

A close perusal on Swami Vivekananda’s religious, political and social thoughts certainly reflects a number of economic issues. His economic thoughts are subtle combination of positive and economic thoughts. It absorbs its strength from Vedanta and vigour from the material prosperity of the West. Most of his economic thoughts are shaped and re-shaped from his practical experience of working with the people. So in that sense he was a practitioner of Development Economics. His outreach from spiritualism to poverty eradication, his radical support to private capital for higher and technical education, his idea of export promotion and industrialization are still very much pertinent to present day practice of Development Economics. Some of the greatest problems of India and the World which are primarily economic in nature can be easily resolved following the path of Swami Vivekananda. The present attempt is to deduct some economic interpretations as well as justifications of Swami Vivekananda’s thought out of his available writings, speeches and different activities of his life.