Conclusion

Abstract

As Veblen was preparing to put down his writing pen for the last time, he cautioned his future readers about what we are losing as a society. For Veblen and many other progressives at the turn of the twentieth century there was much reason to be hopeful about the future. The intellectual and technological developments of the age provided hope that humankind was finally climbing out of the darkness of ignorance and poverty. He attested to the steady progress of scientific development, technological marvels, and the potential for human living standards to be elevated by virtue of advancing industrial development. He also saw such promise stemming from creative human instincts. Craftsmanship and industrial technology flowed naturally from a human instinct to better provide for our species. In the Deweyan sense, an instinct for social provisioning.