Unto This Last
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Unto This Last is an essay on economy by John Ruskin, critical of the 18th and 19th century capitalist economists. When first published as four magazine articles in 1860 they were, in the words of Ruskin himself, "very violently criticized" and the publisher was force to halt publication. But Ruskin persevered and released the four articles in this book form in 1862. Gandhi read Unto This Last in 1904 and it had a huge impact on his social and economic philosophy, with Gandhi making an immediate decision to live according to Ruskin's teachings.
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I read one of the essays in this book ("Roots of Honor"). In this essay, John Ruskin calls into question the theory of political economy, which asserts that people should get as much out of their workers for as little pay and energy as possible. Instead, Ruskin suggests (with respect to the manufacturing field) that masters treat their workers with kindness, that wages and employment be constant, and that “merchants” take part in their business selflessly.
