John Ruskin's Political Economy: ‘There is No Wealth but Life’

Abstract

In 2010 it will be 150 years since John Ruskin's major intervention in political economy was published. While in many ways Ruskin remains a well-known British commentator, his work on political economy has languished, relatively under-appreciated and seldom discussed. In this short review of Ruskin's political economy, the central aspects of his analysis are introduced and summarised. This is then allied to a short indication of how these ideas remain (especially) relevant today, as a prompt to those interested in thinking through analytical alternatives in light of the current travails of contemporary capitalism, to examine and re-engage with John Ruskin's insights into the character and problems of economics.