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Sociology Thorstein Veblen's the Theory of the Term Paper
Pages:1 (339 words)
Sources:1+
Subject:Science
Topic:Industrial Sociology
Document Type:Term Paper
Document:#37399544
Sociology
Thorstein Veblen's The Theory of the Leisure Class: An Economic Study of Institutions is a sociological discourse that centers on the phenomenon of new technology, popularly termed as the technological revolution of human civilization. Veblen discusses the relationship between new technologies (particularly technologies in communication) and how these (technologies) affect the degree of social interaction and shaping society and its culture. He introduces the technological theory of history, where he posits that "the "state of the industrial arts," that is, the technology available to a society, determines the character of its culture... A new technology erodes vested ideas, overcomes vested interests, and reshapes institutions in accord with its own needs" (Coser, 1977:273). Of particular interest to the study of technological and information technology revolutions are found in the fourth chapter of his discourse, entitled, "Conspicuous Consumption." Borrowing from his ideas that technology will eventually determine the culture of a society, the sudden influx of communications technology such as faxes, e-mails, mobile phones, and chat communication, among others, will…
Sample Source(s) Used
Bibliography
Coser, L. (1977). Introduction to Sociology. New York: Harcourt-Brace.
Veblen, T. (1902). The Theory of the Leisure Class: An Economic Study of Institutions. Available at http://xroads.virginia.edu/~HYPER/VEBLEN/chap04.html.
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A b) Consider the articles on behavioral economics at http://myweb.liu.edu/~uroy/eco54/histlist/behav-econ/index.html. Summarizethe main thrust of some of these articles. Based on these articles, what's your opinion of behavioral economics? Do you think behavioral economics represents a return to Veblen's ideas? In many respects it can be agreed that behavioral economics has much in common with Veblen's theories. Behavioral economists agree with Veblen that in most cases humans act illogically, because they are