

The Theory of the Leisure Class
Author: Thorstein Veblen
Narrator: Ethan Williams
Unabridged: 10 hr 41 min
Format: Digital Audiobook Download
Publisher: Stream Readers
Published: 03/17/2023
Author: Thorstein Veblen
Narrator: Ethan Williams
Unabridged: 10 hr 41 min
Format: Digital Audiobook Download
Publisher: Stream Readers
Published: 03/17/2023
Thorstein Veblen (1857–1929) was a Norwegian American economist and sociologist. He was famous as a witty critic of capitalism and for his creation of the idea of “conspicuous consumption.†Veblen was a leading intellectual of the Progressive Era, and within the history of economic thought, he is considered the leader of the institutional economics movement.
A dry and difficult read as one must hack one's way through the arcane language and outmoded concepts, but once one does, one discovers a truly interesting approach to economics. It must have seemed odd to an economist of the early 20th century, at least one capable of transcending the views of his......more
This is a great read if you have a dictionary handy. Microeconomics is the study of why people purchase stuff. This is the best micro-economic book ever written. I studied micro-economics in college, both on the undergraduate and graduate levels. The theories I studied were stupid, generic marginal......more
Woody Guthrie observed, "Some will rob you with a six-gun, and some with a fountain pen." Bob Dylan quoted these lyrics and added, "Didn't take too long to find out, just what he was talking about." Thorstein Veblen, who found this situation to be bemusing if absurd, undertook to explain the social......more
I read this on the plane coming down from Portland, sitting beside a couple of software developers discussing their overseas properties- both apparently had second homes outside the US, one in Tuscany (ooh, too outre-cliche!) one in Spain. Both happened to be interested in viticulture and considered......more
Conspicuous Leisure This is the book that coined the term "conspicuous consumption". My own stance in regard to this practice is demonstrated in the fact that I read this book in a "Dover Thrift Edition"; so, I started reading the book with the expectation of it explaining other people's behavior. Ho......more