Conspicuous Consumption and Leisure
In The Theory of the Leisure Class: An Economic Study of Institutions (1899), Veblen presented the concepts of conspicuous consumption and conspicuous leisure. Conspicuous consumption is the application of money, and other resources, to display a higher social-status, e.g. the use of silver flatware at meals, although flatware made of other materials might functionally suffice. Moreover, Veblen goods are consumer goods made greatly desirable by high manufacturing cost, sale price, and scarcity in the market, especially “socially visible” consumer goods, rather than goods that are consumed in private.
Conspicuous leisure is the extended length of time that a person devotes to pleasurable pursuits that grant him or her a higher social-status; for example, to be a gentleman, a man must study philosophy and the fine arts, which were of limited economic value towards earning a living. Therefore, such intellectual activities displayed the rich person’s freedom from economic necessity, and from having to do a job or hold an occupation that requires performing economically productive manual labor; higher social status derives from not having to perform manual labor.
Read more about this topic: The Theory Of The Leisure Class
Famous quotes containing the words conspicuous consumption, conspicuous, consumption and/or leisure:
“Conspicuous consumption of valuable goods is a means of reputability to the gentleman of leisure.”
—Thorstein Veblen (1857–1929)
“Time has the same effect on the mind as on the face; the predominant passion and the strongest feature become more conspicuous from the others’ retiring.”
—Mary Wortley, Lady Montagu (1689–1762)
“Books constitute capital. A library book lasts as long as a house, for hundreds of years. It is not, then, an article of mere consumption but fairly of capital, and often in the case of professional men, setting out in life, it is their only capital.”
—Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826)
“As to that leisure evening of life, I must say that I do not want it. I can conceive of no contentment of which toil is not to be the immediate parent.”
—Anthony Trollope (1815–1882)