VEBLEN, THORSTEIN.   Term Paper ID:23544 Click to get this paper

Essay Subject: Life, education, career, major works & ideas of 19th Cent.-20th Cent. Amer. economist/sociologist.... More...

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Paper Abstract: Life, education, career, major works & ideas of 19th Cent.-20th Cent. Amer. economist/sociologist. Paper Introduction: Although described as a prophet, a genius, and the greatest American economist, Thorstein Veblen was an enigma to many of his contemporaries. Veblen confronted culture and challenged authority with his theories and with his lifestyle. He established a branch of economic theory that endures to this day. Veblen's childhood was instrumental in shaping much of his philosophy later in life. Born in Wisconsin in 1857, Veblen spent much of his life in cultural isolation on his family's farm. Both parents were Norwegian immigrants whose lifestyle was based on the patterns of their rural homes in Norway. The Veblen family's neighbors were likewise of Scandinavian origin, and young Veblen had little contact with the English-speaking world. Essentially, Veblen "grew up as a Norwegian" (Seckler, 1975, p. 24). Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. Although Veblen, like Marx, supported socialism, Veblen made a sharpdistinction between business and industry, "the realm of pecuniary valueson the one hand and of material production on the other" (Sweezy, 1958, p.181). New York: Augustus Kelley. Divorced from his wife, Veblen lived in isolation on the campus, atone point living in a tent in the cellar of one of his colleagues. (1963). Eby, C. Veblen obtained a teaching position at the University of Missouri in1911. 1 13-1 27. Veblenian institutionalism: Thechanging concepts of inquiry. Veblen was the founder of the so-called institutionalist school ofeconomics. Veblen followed with the publication of The Theory of BusinessEnterprise (19 4), which did not meet with as much success as his firstwork, partly because of problems with writing style, "His opaque,convoluted style, marked by polysyllabic neologisms and esotericterminology, pleased neither radicals expecting a recipe for revolution norconservatives hoping for a refutation of socialism" (Diggins, 1978, p. 2 ). In Douglas Dowd(Ed.), Thorstein Veblen: A Critical Reappraisal (pp. Veblen's intellectual awakeningat Carleton was spurred more by his voracious appetite for independentreading than by the college curriculum. (1995, December). Part of the problemwas the frugality with which he and two of his siblings who also attendedthe college were forced to live. . 141). 16). As one ofVeblen's brothers put it, "He read and loafed, and then the next day heloafed and read" (Diggins, 1978, p. Veblen severed his ties with the academic community and spent hisfinal years in failing health and loneliness. 139-173. Veblen's institutionalism as a concept of inquiry has stood the testof time as a valid economic theory. Veblen. In1919, Veblen became associated with the New School for Social Research butwas cut from the staff in 1922. Veblen's professional career can best be described as an academic insearch of tenure. Veblen was35 at the time. Here again, teachingdefects combined with scandal created by his notorious reputation forwomanizing led to his downfall. At Carleton's weekly rhetoricalexercises, he gained an unsavory reputation for delivering such speeches as"A Plea for Cannibalism" and "An Apology for Toper," a discourse whichjustified the behavior of drunkards. Seckler, D. The Veblen family's neighbors were likewise of Scandinavianorigin, and young Veblen had little contact with the English-speakingworld. Veblen's articles brought himtemporary fame in intellectual circles, leading to the establishment ofVeblenists and Veblen Clubs. 29). Hobson, J.A. After graduation from Carleton, he taught mathematicsfor a year in a Norwegian college in Wisconsin. His ambitious thoughtsand writings challenge modern economists and philosophers. 13). Veblen died in1929 at the age of 73. Experiencing financial difficulties, he left school.Veblen later enrolled in Yale, again focusing on philosophy: "He utilizedthese years at Yale to make extensive inquiries into the writings of Hegel,Spencer and Kant . The book became the overnight sensation of the intellectual class: "Its popularity among radicals was chiefly due to its satirical commentaryupon the upper classes, rather than to its scientific exposition of thefacts of the American situation" (Hobson, 1963, p. Histheses came about as a result of deep reflection. Born in Wisconsin in 1857, Veblen spent much of his life incultural isolation on his family's farm. New York: Seabury. Thorstein Veblen was first and foremost a powerful thinker. Thorstein Veblen and the institutionalists.Boulder, CO: Colorado Associated University Press. In 1888, Veblen married EllenRole, the daughter of a well-to-do Iowa farmer. Dugger (1995) emphasizes community and rising environmental concerns asnew elements in Veblenian analysis. " (Seckler, 1975, p. Both parents were Norwegianimmigrants whose lifestyle was based on the patterns of their rural homesin Norway. The main contact that the Norwegian community had with theoutside world was, unfortunately, in the form of unprincipled merchants,swindlers, and land speculators. After the outbreak of World War I, Veblen devoted himself to worksthat furthered the American cause. The political economy taught at Carleton conformed to thefollowing common-sense doctrine: "Man has not only the right to life andliberty, but also to property, or the possession and enjoyment of whateverhe may, by his own industry or good fortune, or the gift of others, havehonestly acquired" (Hobson, 1963, p. They preyed on the naivete of theimmigrant population: "In Minnesota the Veblens encountered similartroubles with land speculators and money lenders" (Diggins, 1978, p. Thorstein Veblen and the rhetoric ofauthority. 29). Veblen's childhood was instrumental in shaping much of his philosophylater in life. When Veblen was 8, the family moved to a farming community inMinnesota that was even more intensely Norwegian than his birthplace inWisconsin. Veblen joined the teaching staff of Stanford University in Californiain 19 6. 37). Veblen remained at the University of Chicago for 14 years, mainlythrough the intervention of his mentor: "[Veblen] was an exceptionallypoor pedagogue, and he did not 'advertise the university'" (Seckler, 1975,p. Veblen on American capitalism. References Diggins, J. 26). Both she and Veblen were avid readers, and one ofthe books which had a profound effect on the two of them was EdwardBellamy's Looking Backward: "Veblen's development of the themes of'conspicuous consumption,' of the conflict of interest between thebusinessman and the community, and his examination of the disutility oflabour, bear a close resemblance to Bellamy's earlier, brilliant work"(Seckler, 1975, p. 36). Veblen did, however, establish afriendship with teacher John Bates Clark, who was later to become adistinguished economist. Once again, Veblen's oratorical deficienciescame into play, and his fame soon diminished: "He could not 'orate,' hewould not even talk to order or to expectation" (Hobson, 1963, p. Veblen's father built them a small houseto live in on a lot near campus, and they all dressed in clothes made bytheir mother: "These obvious signs of poverty and their natural rusticityset them off as a class apart from the proper Yankee tradition of Carleton"(Seckler, 1975, p. Failing to obtain a teaching position, Veblen onceagain enrolled as a student, obtaining a fellowship at Cornell in 1891. In addition to his duties as a lecturer, Veblen alsoserved as editor, reviewer and contributor to the Journal of PoliticalEconomy. Although Veblen wrote a few unpublished articles, engaged inintense discussions with his father over economic and political problems,and tinkered with a few inventions, he was largely unproductive. (1975). 177-198). He finished two of his most important works, The Instinct ofWorkmanship (1914) and Imperial Germany and the Industrial Revolution(1915), among others. Veblen did not fit in well at Carleton College. The notoriety thatLeisure Class brought to the University of Chicago was instrumental inVeblen's promotion to assistant professor in 19 . Veblen left the University of Chicago, partly because ofrestlessness, partly because of his penchant for extramaritalrelationships. 38). His second wife, whom hemarried in 1914, was committed to a mental institution. Sweezy, P. Although described as a prophet, a genius, and the greatest Americaneconomist, Thorstein Veblen was an enigma to many of his contemporaries.Veblen confronted culture and challenged authority with his theories andwith his lifestyle. He taught economics there for three years. The Bard of Savagery. 34).The immigrants held little hope of retribution through the legal systembecause few of them were well acquainted enough with the law to seekremedies. Although termed the greatest economist everproduced by America, Veblen died in poverty and obscurity. Veblen's work was largely ignored by Washingtonbureaucrats. At Carleton, the curriculum was heavily weighted toward religion, moralphilosophy, and the classics, with little emphasis given to scientificteaching. Veblen earned his Ph.D.in 1884 with a dissertation on "Ethical Grounds of a Doctrine ofRetribution." With no prospects of academic employment, Veblen returned home to hisfamily's farm in Minnesota and for seven years was absent from the academicworld. 3 ). Thoughbitter and reclusive, his seven years at the University of Missouri wereprolific. Role had been a formerclassmate at Carleton. He saw institutions as rooted in past processes andcircumstances. In all, his output during this period included 11books and more than 15 articles and reviews (Diggins, 1978, p. Essentially, Veblen "grew up as a Norwegian" (Seckler, 1975, p.24). Ithaca,NY: Cornell University Press.----------------------- 8 Veblen's reputation as a misfit was exacerbated byhis tendency to espouse unpopular ideals. He moved to Washington and wroteseveral reports, some dealing with the manpower shortage and the means ofattaining permanent peace. He established a branch of economic theory thatendures to this day. Veblen believed that economics mustnot be studied as a closed system but rather as an aspect of a culturewhose customs and habits constitute institutions that are rapidly changing. Journal of Economic Issues, 29(4), pp. (1958). In 1918, Veblen was appointed one of the editors of Dial, a magazinefor the liberal intellectual community. Through a college professor at Cornell, Veblen obtained his firstjob, as a lecturer in economics at the University of Chicago. At 17, Veblen was sent to nearby Carleton College Academy. Hisfather hoped that the younger Veblen would study for the Lutheran ministry. While at the University of Chicago, Veblen published the book thatwas to bring him international fame, The Theory of the Leisure Class(1899). Veblen prided himself in his detachment from professionalassociations and institutions and established himself as an "outsider withcredentials, as a 'radical with authority'" (Eby, 1994, p. (1994, June). (1978). When that college closed,Veblen and his brother enrolled in Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, where Veblenstudied philosophy. . American Quarterly, 46(2), pp. Dugger, W. If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.