{"product_id":"2940012641854","title":"The Theory Of The Leisure Class [ By: Thorstein Veblen ]","description":"This classic of economic thought is a scathing critique of American snobbery and wastefulness. Chief among the practices that Veblen so wittily satirizes is 'conspicuous consumption', a pattern of behaviour that still flourishes among us.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn the book, Veblen argues that economic life is driven not by notions of utility, but by social vestiges from pre-historic times. Drawing examples from the contemporary period and anthropology, he held that much of today's society is a variation on early tribal life.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAccording to Veblen, beginning with primitive tribes, people began to adopt a division of labor along certain lines. The \"higher status\" group monopolized war and hunting, while farming and cooking were considered inferior work.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHe argued this was due to barbarism and conquest of some tribes over others. Once conquerors took control, they relegated the more menial and labor-intensive jobs to the subjugated people, while retaining the more warlike and violent work for themselves. It did not matter that these \"menial\" jobs did more to support society (in Veblen's view) than the \"higher\" ones. Even within tribes that were initially free of conquerors or violence, Veblen argued that certain individuals, upon watching this labor division take place in other groups, began to emulate the behavior in higher-status groups.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eVeblen referred to the emerging ruling class as the \"leisure class.\" He argued that while this class did perform some work and contributed to the tribe's well-being, it did so in only a minor, peripheral, and largely symbolic manner. For example, although hunting could provide the tribe with food, it was not as productive or reliable as farming or animal domestication, and compared with the latter types of work, was relatively easier to perform. Likewise, while tribes occasionally required warriors if a conflict broke out, Veblen argued that militaristic members of the leisure class retained their position—and, with it, exemption from menial work—even during the extremely long stretches of time when there was no war, even though they were perfectly capable of contributing to the tribe's \"menial\" work during times of peace.","brand":"Publish This, LLC","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47121008787696,"sku":"2940012641854","price":2.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/2940012641854_p0.jpg?v=1763570922","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/2940012641854","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}