Thorstein Veblen and the Enrichment of Evolutionary Naturalism: Rick Tilman

Description

One of America s most influential social critics, Thorstein Veblen authored works deeply rooted in evolutionary biology and American philosophical naturalism. Now one of today s preeminent Veblen scholars ranges widely over the man s writings to show how evolutionary naturalism underlies his social theory and criticism, shapes his satire, and binds his work together. Veblen s evolutionary naturalism, with its unflattering evaluation of America s self-selected special place in the international arena, casts doubt on today s foreign interventions, and it also provides a much-needed antidote to the resurgence of creationist thought in American culture. Rick Tilman shows that Veblen s ideas are still valuable to contemporary social scientists indeed, that his method of analysis and values are sorely needed to help us avoid wasteful consumption, predation, and the persistence of religious superstition.