Thorstein Bunde Veblen, the influential 20th-century economist and sociologist, was born on July 30, 1857, in Cato Township, Wisconsin. He spent most of his early life in rural Minnesota and attended Carleton College in Northfield, where he graduated in 1880. Veblen initially pursued a career in academia, but his iconoclastic ideas and outspoken personality often led to friction with his colleagues, and he was dismissed from several universities. Eventually, he would find a home at the New School for Social Research in New York City, where he taught until his death in 1929. Veblen was a maverick in his field, known for his critiques of conventional economic and social theories and his focus on the interplay between technology, institutions, and human behavior.
Veblen’s most famous work is his 1899 book “The Theory of the Leisure Class.” In it, he coined the term “conspicuous consumption” to describe the behavior of the wealthy, who he believed spent money on frivolous and ostentatious displays of wealth to signal their status to others. Veblen argued that this behavior was not only wasteful but also harmful to society, as it encouraged others to follow suit, creating a cycle of overconsumption and scarcity.
Veblen’s criticisms were not solely directed at the rich, however. He was also a harsh critic of capitalism as a system, arguing that it was rife with inefficiencies and waste. He believed that the profit motive and competition were the primary drivers of economic activity and that these forces often led to the exploitation of workers and the concentration of wealth in the hands of a few. In “The Theory of Business Enterprise,” published in 1904, Veblen argued that businesses were not necessarily efficient producers of goods and services but rather were primarily concerned with maximizing profits, often at the expense of employees, customers, and society at large.
Veblen was a proponent of institutionalism, a school of thought that emphasized the importance of social and cultural factors in shaping economic behavior. He believed that institutions such as law, religion, and social conventions played a crucial role in determining economic outcomes and that economic theory could not be divorced from these broader social factors. This focus on the interplay between institutions and economic behavior was reflected in his later work on the concept of “pecuniary emulation,” the idea that people’s behavior was influenced not just by their own desires and needs but also by the behavior and expectations of those around them.
Despite his many contributions to the field of economics, Veblen was never fully embraced by the academic establishment. His unconventional style and ideas often put him at odds with his peers, and his criticism of the wealthy and the capitalist system led some to view him as a radical. Nevertheless, his ideas have had a lasting impact on the field of economics and have influenced generations of economists and social theorists.
Veblen’s legacy is perhaps best summed up by his own words in “The Theory of the Leisure Class”: “The institution of a leisure class is a necessary outcome of the present industrial system. It is the result of that system, and not a necessary feature of human nature.” In other words, Veblen believed that the problems that plagued society were not inherent to human nature but rather were the result of the socioeconomic system in which individuals lived. By challenging conventional wisdom and highlighting the flaws of the status quo, Veblen’s work continues to inspire people to question the economic and social structures that shape their lives.