Progress and Poverty · Chapter
Book VI: The Remedy explained
This chapter presents the remedy for the problem of poverty amidst progress, arguing that the root cause is the private ownership of land and that the solution is to make land common property by appropriating rent through taxation, specific
What happens
This chapter presents the remedy for the problem of poverty amidst progress, arguing that the root cause is the private ownership of land and that the solution is to make land common property by appropriating rent through taxation, specifically a single tax on land values, which would abolish all other taxes and restore natural justice.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Narrative arc
Story tension across the book.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
This is the story's dramatic climax because it marks the emotional and intellectual peak where the author, hav…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- The Single Tax on Land Values
The chapter proposes the single tax on land values as the remedy, arguing that it would abolish all other taxes and restore natural justice by making land common property.
- Land Ownership and Rent
The chapter focuses on the private ownership of land as the cause of poverty and argues for the appropriation of rent as the solution.
Characters to notice
- Unknown
The author presents the remedy for poverty, arguing for the appropriation of land rent as the solution.
- David Ricardo
Ricardo's law of rent is referenced as the basis for understanding how rent arises and how its appropriation can solve the distribution problem.
Key passages
“The remedy for the injustice of poverty amidst progress is to make land common property.”
The solution to the problem of poverty in the midst of progress is to establish land as common property.
This encapsulates the central argument of the chapter.
“We must make land common property.”
Land must be owned collectively by society.
A direct statement of the proposed remedy.
