The Theory of the Leisure Class
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By Thorstein Veblen 17 Oct, 2019
The Theory of the Leisure Class: An Economic Study of Institutions (1899), by Thorstein Veblen, is a treatise on economics and a detailed, social critique of conspicuous consumption, as a function of social class and of consumerism, derived from the ... Read more
The Theory of the Leisure Class: An Economic Study of Institutions (1899), by Thorstein Veblen, is a treatise on economics and a detailed, social critique of conspicuous consumption, as a function of social class and of consumerism, derived from the social stratification of people and the division of labour, which are the social institutions of the feudal period (9th–15th centuries) that have continued to the modern era. Veblen asserts that the contemporary lords of the manor, the businessmen who own the means of production, have employed themselves in the economically unproductive practices of conspicuous consumption and conspicuous leisure, which are useless activities that contribute neither to the economy nor to the material production of the useful goods and services required for the functioning of society, while it is the middle class and the working class who are usefully employed in the industrialised, productive occupations that support the whole of society. Less
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  • 232.549 KB
  • 308
  • Public Domain Books
  • 2019-01-09
  • English
  • 978-0554369334
Thorstein Veblen (30 July 1857 – 3 August 1929) was a Norwegian-American economist and sociologist, who during his lifetime emerged as a well-known critic of capitalism. In his best-known book, T...
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