The Theory of the Leisure Class: An Economic Study of Institutions

The Theory of the Leisure Class is heavily influenced by the social, historical, and economic context of the Gilded Age (roughly 1870-1900). In the United State and Europe, the Gilded Age ushered in industrialization and urbanization that produced unseen wealth for society’s highest classes and led to emulation of their lavish lifestyles and fashions among the middle and working classes. Opulent architecture, food, and fashion characterized the lifestyle of society’s wealthiest individuals. By comparison, many working-class families lived in poverty. Cultural commentators used social Darwinism, i.e., notion of “survival of the fittest,” to rationalize the expanding wealth gap between rich and poor. Oppressed populations pushed back against these opinions with increased calls for labor reform, women’s suffrage, and protests against Jim Crow and other racist policies.

Veblen’s work critiques Gilded Age society as well as the belief in classical economics on which it is based. Classical economics is founded on the principle of supply and demand in a free market made up of rational consumers. Scottish economist and philosopher Adam Smith (1723-1790) founded this theory, and it has largely persisted, with some modifications, as the assumed basis of capitalist economies in the West. Veblen disagrees with Smith’s concept of a static economy that operates independently from cultural institutions. He protests the idea that consumers are only motivated by rational decisions: His theory is that certain cultural institutions are dominant in society, and they affect people’s perception of the world as much as they affect their economic decisions.

Beyond economics, The Theory of the Leisure Class is also a cultural product of the Gilded Age. Veblen’s concern over the rise of the leisure class is reflected in the social and economic forces that dominated society at that time. Business tycoons—or so-called “robber barons”—such as John D. Rockefeller, Henry Frick, and Andrew Carnegie, amassed incredible wealth and power in a very short amount of time. Their social and political influence was tangible to Veblen, who saw their rise as a clear indication that the culture of conspicuous consumption was growing. He considers their extreme wealth as “predatory” because it takes advantage of those in the middle and working classes who strive to emulate them. This is most clearly defined in Chapter 14, in which Veblen launches an attack on institutions of higher learning, especially in the field of humanities (his own field), for their lack of innovation and adherence to archaic customs. He criticizes the practice of favoring the humanities over the sciences and mocks universities that show reluctance to admit women.