What we’re about
CURRENT READING LIST: Google Spreadsheet
Welcome! As the name suggests, this group aims to explore the history of ideas through some of the most influential texts in science, philosophy and literature. Each month we will choose a text or topic to read/research and discuss. The group is open to everyone and is intended as an informal way of engaging with some of the key ideas that have shaped our societies and cultures down through the centuries. No prior understanding of any of the texts or ideas is required and newcomers are always welcome!
It is not a requirement to have read the assigned text to join in the discussion. For those with less time, I will post links to abridged versions, as well as short videos and podcasts providing a general overview of the topic.
Members are welcome to suggest texts/topics and share links to resources such as study guides, podcasts, documentaries, etc.
Upcoming events (1)
See all- The Theory of the Leisure Class by Thorstein Veblen discussionCostigan's Pub, Cork
''Conspicuous consumption of valuable goods is a means of reputability to the gentleman of leisure.'' In The Theory of the Leisure Class (1899) Thorstein Veblen sets out ''to discuss the place and value of the leisure class as an economic factor in modern life''. In so doing he produced a landmark study of affluent American society that exposes, with brilliant ruthlessness, the habits of production and waste that link invidious business tactics and barbaric social behaviour. Veblen's analysis of the evolutionary process sees greed as the overriding motive in the modern economy; with an impartial gaze he examines the human cost paid when social institutions exploit the consumption of unessential goods for the sake of personal profit. Fashion, beauty, animals, sports, the home, the clergy, scholars - all are assessed for their true usefulness and found wanting. The targets of Veblen's coruscating satire are as evident today as they were a century ago, and his book still has the power to shock and enlighten.
We'll primarily focus on the chapters listed below, which are covered in the Penguin Great Ideas edition titled Conspicuous Consumption.
- Chapter 1: Introduction
- Chapter 3: Conspicuous Leisure
- Chapter 4: Conspicuous Consumption
- Chapter 6: Pecuniary Canons of Taste
- Chapter 9: The Conservation of Archaic Traits
- Chapter 10: Modern Survivals of Prowess
- Chapter 14: The Higher Learning as an Expression of the Pecuniary Culture
As always, it is not a requirement to have read the assigned text to join the discussion. Below are some resources providing a general overview of the topic.
Text...
- Various formats https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/833
- Audio https://librivox.org/theory-of-the-leisure-class-by-thorstein-veblen/
Podcasts...
- In Our Time: The Theory of the Leisure Class https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001sdrt
- Economics in Ten: Thorstein Veblen https://open.spotify.com/episode/6NvyM3aSbNR9TQvHoJdman
- History Extra podcast: The American Gilded Age: everything you wanted to know https://open.spotify.com/episode/63g4Mwnid9pRfJwf4IldTC
Video...
- NBC News Learn: Thorstein Veblen and the Leisure Class https://youtu.be/5T7JkwJxgjo?feature=shared
- Then & Now: Our Consumer Society https://youtu.be/wmDoUa4f-NM?feature=shared
Other Resources...
- History: How Robber Barons Flaunted Their Money During the Gilded Age https://www.history.com/news/robber-barons-gilded-age-wealth
- Britannica: Thorstein Veblen https://www.britannica.com/money/Thorstein-Veblen
