4.0 out of 5 stars
Great Summary of Veblen's Work, June 6, 2011
This review is from: Thorstein Veblen and the American Way of Life (Paperback)
Thorstein Veblen and the American Way of Life, written in 2004 by Louis Patsouras, a professor of history at Kent State University and author of numerous books on socialist thinkers, provides an accessible and engaging overview of Veblen's work and the related arguments by countless other prominent left-liberal and conservative intellectuals. The book is not so much a historical biography of Veblen himself as a history of the ideas and debates that influenced and responded to Veblen's oeuvre. Patsouras succeeds in uniting, illuminating and clarifying the diverse theories and trends presented throughout the course of the book. Centered on the inimitable figure of Veblen, well-respected American economist and controversial social thinker, Patsouras' patchwork of economic and political theory employs the format and vocabulary of a historical study, and thus manages to be not only detailed and directed, but also often entertaining. By placing Veblen's life, times and ideas in context, Patsouras delineates a far broader history than that of one academic. The portrayal of America's rise, its societal vacillations, its dogma of capitalism, is founded on a limpid presentation of facts, along with a cogent selection of historical anecdotes.
As someone with only a cursory knowledge of economics, I still easily grasped the book's content; and compendious notes facilitate further reading on anything the book may have mentioned only in passing. Personally, I find Veblen's prose to be a bit dense, almost obfuscated; Patsouras provides numerous excerpts from Veblen's writing to be sure, but having Patsouras parse the information and put it in context was invaluable. It should be stated that by taking on the role of interpreter, Patsouras could impress a bias on his historical portrayal. That being said, when what Veblen meant is in contention, Patsouras invariably makes note of the other positions, dismissing them with reason and evidence rather than by omission.
Whether as a keen introduction to the canonical texts of socialism, a thoroughly researched history of American capitalism, or a reverent depiction of the eminent Veblen caught in intellectual negotiation between the two--I recommend Patsouras' Thorstein Veblen: a highly informative book.
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