The Place of Science in Modern Civilization

by Thorstein Veblen

Western culture, according to Veblen, is unique because of its comprehension of science. Above all else, he identifies this as the defining characteristic of Western Christian society, because all other social forces gather around it. But far from proclaiming this cult of science as a great good, Veblen instead examines how this peculiarity came to be. Why science? What will become of a society so engrossed with facts that it neglects other aspects of life, like art? Readers may find themselves amazed at the degree to which the scientific point of view has colored Western life, while students of sociology and anthropology will be fascinated by this reflexive look at scientific culture by a man of science. American economist and sociologist THORSTEIN BUNDE VEBLEN (1857-1929) was educated at Carleton College, Johns Hopkins University and Yale University. He coined the phrase "conspicuous consumption." Among his most famous works are The Theory of the Leisure Class (1899), The Theory of Business Enterprise (1904), and Imperial Germany and the Industrial Revolution (1915).

Genres: Nonfiction, Philosophy

520 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1961

About the author

Thorstein (born 'Torsten') Bunde Veblen was a Norwegian-American economist and sociologist. He was famous as a witty critic of capitalism.

Veblen is famous for the idea of "conspicuous consumption". Conspicuous consumption, along with "conspicuous leisure", is performed to demonstrate wealth or mark social status. Veblen explains the concept in his best-known book, The Theory of the Leisure Class (1899). Within the history of economic thought, Veblen is considered the leader of the institutional economics movement. Veblen's distinction between "institutions" and "technology" is still called the Veblenian dichotomy by contemporary economists.

As a leading intellectual of the Progressive Era, Veblen attacked production for profit. His emphasis on conspicuous consumption greatly influenced the socialist thinkers who sought a non-Marxist critique of capitalism.

Reviews

[Illiterate · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sociological/evolutionary economics cloaks its banal descriptive histories in inappropriate metaphors and false explanations, eg. survival of the fittest.

[Kurt · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a Democrat

I am a dedicated anticapitalist. Veblen is one of my primary sources, and Marx of course. But like Marx himself, Veblen is not a “Marxist”:

[B · Rating 3 out of 5]

I forget if I mentioned it:
http://www.vice.com/read/i-accidental...

This guy quoted Veblen, pretended it was from the Girls book, and got a people to say what a bad writer Dunham was. Well, you know, it's true. This is, like, turgid.

And the points he makes, he could make better if he stopped being so . . . .elliptical is the problem? There is a problem.

Anyway, there are kind of three parts to this: (1) What is science? (2) All these criticisms of economists -- both Marshall and Marx -- for missing important details; (3) a horrifying attempt to figure out the racial history of Europeans that is totally wrong and certainly offensive.

I think it's alright but it's insufficiently clear.