Thorstein veblen and his critics, 1891-1963, Tilman, Rick

The influential economist and philosopher Thorstein Veblen (1857-1929) was one of the most original and penetrating critics of American culture and institutions, and his work attracted and still attracts the attention of scholars from a wide range of political viewpoints and scholarly disciplines. Focusing on the doctrinal and theoretical facets of Veblens political economy, this book offers a study not only of his ideas but also of the way his critics have responded to them. Rick Tilman assesses the weight of the critics reactions, both positive and negative, as well as exposing their sometimes mistaken interpretations of Veblens work. As he scrutinizes the ideologies of the conservatives, liberals, and radicals who commented on Veblen, he portrays the diversity of social theory in the first half of the twentieth century. Beginning with the first criticism of Veblens work during the presidency of Benjamin Harrison and concluding with Daniel Bells attack on him during the Kennedy administration, the book emphasizes those critics who systematically confronted the doctrinal structure of Veblens thought and believed that they perceived in it fundamental weaknesses. But even the most negatively inclined--such as Paul Baran, Irving Fisher, and Talcott Parsons--admitted some of Veblens strengths. Ironically, his supporters at times stripped his work of much of its potential for political and moral enlightenment without intending to do so.

Originally published in 1992.

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