Veblen in Perspective

The economist and social theorist Thorstein Veblen (1857-1929) is familiar to American scholars and graduate students as a master of penetrating irony. That may be the extent of it. In the United States, Veblen's native land, the master's influence has been pushed aside in favor of a more quantitative, less psychological approach to sociology and economics. In Europe his star still shines, though not as brightly as it once did. Europeans have long appreciated irony. And Veblen's acid critique of capitalism, especially the American variety, and its attendant institutions—religion, business, education—has a happier ring to their ears. Stephen Edgell, professor of sociology at the University of Salford in Manchester, England, and director of the International Thorstein Veblen Association, insists that Veblen's "vision of a peaceful world in which technological knowledge is shared by all for the benefits of all" is more pertinent today than ever (p. 166). Convincing others of this is the aim of his book

Capitalism · Economics · Irony · Neoclassical economics · Perspective (graphical) · Political science · Social science · Sociology · Variety (cybernetics) · Veblen good · Economic Theory and Institutions · Law · Philosophy