Thorstein
Veblen (1857-1929) was an unrelenting critic of the
American way of life. In his first and best-known
work, The Theory of the Leisure Class, Veblen defined
the social attitudes and values that condoned the
misuse of wealth and the variety of ways in which the
resources of modern society were wasted. Though most
famous for the term "conspicuous
consumption"--a pattern of consumerism that more
than survives to the present day--he also attacked
other American institutions and traditions, but his
ideas on society were often dismissed because of his
reputation as an eccentric. Unsuccessful in his
university career and his two marriages, and in his
private life described as strange, bitter, and
detached, in his books, Veblen shone.
Thorstein
Veblen remains a baffling figure in American
intellectual history, and this important work,
undertaken by Louis Patsouras, attempts both to
unravel the riddles that surround his reputation and
to assess his varied and important contributions to
modern social theory.
By
setting Veblen's work in its social and intellectual
context, and by considering Veblen not just as an
economist or a sociologist--as has been the case up
to now--Patsouras also examines Veblen's politics, in
particular the early manifestations of American
socialism and anarchism, as well as his support of
labor unions. Veblen's views are then compared and
contrasted with other well-known historical and
contemporary thinkers.
In
this process, Patsouras makes clear just how vital
Veblen was and remains to our cultural and political
landscape and why it is that through an understanding
of Veblen we can move toward an understanding of
modern America.
Table of Contents
LOUIS
PATSOURAS is Professor of History at Kent State
University. His other published works include Simone
Weil and the Socialist Tradition, The Crucible of
Socialism, Debating Marx, Essays on Socialism,
Continuity and Change in Marxism and The
Anarchism of Jean Grave.
296
pages, 6x9, bibliography, index
Paperback ISBN: 1-55164-228-X $26.99
Hardcover ISBN: 1-55164-229-8 $55.99
Cultural Studies /
Business & Economics
June
2004
