Unto This Last
John Ruskin's four 1860 essays against the political economy of his day.
At a glance
Key ideas
Wealth and honesty, Riches as inequality, Fixed wages …
See all 4Influence
Gandhi, The Labour Party
See all 2Connections
John Ruskin and Thomas Carlyle
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Also on this page: Key facts · Links · Sources · Related pages
- Ruskin sets out to define wealth and to show that getting wealth is only possible in a society that values honesty.
- The title comes from the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard, which he reads for its lessons on wages, including who should receive a living wage.
- He argues that political economy ignores the social affections that bind communities together.
- He proposes fixed wages and state schools, workshops and pensions.
Why it matters
- Gandhi rebuilt his life and economics around it, and early Labour MPs listed it as one of their key influences.
Key facts
- Author
- John Ruskin1
- First published
- 1860, as four articles in the Cornhill Magazine, stopped after an outcry from readers1
- As a book
- May 18621
- Gujarati paraphrase
- Sarvodaya (Well Being of All), by Gandhi, 1908; translated back into English by Valji Govindji Desai in 19511
Key ideas
-
Wealth and honesty1
Acquiring wealth is only possible in a society that values honesty.
-
Riches as inequality2
Getting rich is "the art of establishing the maximum inequality in our own favour".
-
Fixed wages2
Work should be paid at a fixed rate, so the best workmen are kept for the quality of their work.
-
A role for the state2
Government training schools, workshops at fixed wages for the unemployed, and pensions as a right.
Influence
Connections
Links
Sources
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