The Theory of the Leisure Class
From kwharrison13.com · Anti-library
The Theory of the Leisure Class
| Author | Thorstein Veblen |
|---|---|
| Published | 1899 |
| Pages | 269 |
| Recommended | Once |
| Buy | Amazon |
| Why it’s on the list | Veblen’s 1899 account of how a wealthy class signals its standing — conspicuous consumption, conspicuous leisure and conspicuous waste as proof that its income does not depend on productive work — traced through dress, sport, religion, higher learning and the position of women. The phrase “conspicuous consumption” is his. |
Where I heard about it
- Brendan McCord — on his Philosopher-Entrepreneur Reading List, in Capitalism, Morality, and Culture, as the section’s central case that a market society produces its own morality and culture, March 2026. Full list: The Philosopher-Entrepreneur Reading List.
Connections
- The Philosopher-Entrepreneur Reading List — the curriculum this card came from.
- Capitalism — the commercial order whose status logic the book anatomizes.
- Human Nature — emulation and invidious comparison as the drivers Veblen makes central.
- Institutions — habits of thought treated as institutions in his sense.
What links here
Curated by Kyle Harrison. Organized by Claude. Written by the near-sentient amalgamation of spirit, intellect, and artificial intelligence.