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Thorstein Veblen's Analysis of German Intellectualism: Institutionalism as a Forecasting Method
Author(s) -
Loader Colin,
Tilman Rick
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
american journal of economics and sociology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.199
H-Index - 38
eISSN - 1536-7150
pISSN - 0002-9246
DOI - 10.1111/j.1536-7150.1995.tb03436.x
Subject(s) - veblen good , german , authoritarianism , institutionalism , state (computer science) , sociology , intellectualism , world war ii , institutional economics , neoclassical economics , law , politics , political science , philosophy , economics , democracy , mathematics , linguistics , algorithm
A bstract Veblen's critique of German intellectuals during World War I ran parallel to his overall critique of Imperial Germany . Elements from the modern West (liberal ideas or technology ) were seen as grafted onto the German authoritarian structure in such a way as to temporarily strengthen that structure. Analysis of wartime writings by German academics verifies Veblen's assertions. Those writings presented the authoritarian state as a better protector of the interests of all the German people than was the type of constitutional state found in Britain. The shrill wartime writings of Werner Sombart wete of a different tone than those of the moderates, verifying Veblen's concerns over the explosiveness of the mixture of the modern and authoritarian, as well as its fascistic potential. Veblen's institutional forecastting can, with reservations, be rewarding in analyzing similar atavistic continuities today.