IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/eaiere/v15y2018i1d10.1007_s40844-017-0082-5.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Thorstein Veblen, the evolution of the predatory instinct, and the origins of agriculture

Author

Listed:
  • Vincent Barnett

Abstract

This article attempts to take Veblenian instinct analysis more seriously than is usually done in the institutionalist literature by providing a detailed investigation of how Thorstein Veblen understood the operation of one particular instinct, what he called the predatory instinct. It documents the nature of the predatory instinct, its evolutionary origin, its mode of operation, and various forms of its economic expression across geological time. It also explores various hypothesized relations between the predatory instinct and both the Neolithic origins of agriculture and the processes of animal domestication. It then evaluates Veblen’s formulation of these topics in relation to recent anthropological accounts of the evolution of the cognitive capacity of Homo hominids across both the Paleolithic and Neolithic periods of human prehistory.

Suggested Citation

  • Vincent Barnett, 2018. "Thorstein Veblen, the evolution of the predatory instinct, and the origins of agriculture," Evolutionary and Institutional Economics Review, Springer, vol. 15(1), pages 49-71, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:eaiere:v:15:y:2018:i:1:d:10.1007_s40844-017-0082-5
    DOI: 10.1007/s40844-017-0082-5
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s40844-017-0082-5
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s40844-017-0082-5?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. McDougall, William, 1919. "An Introduction to Social Psychology," History of Economic Thought Books, McMaster University Archive for the History of Economic Thought, edition 14, number mcdougall1919.
    2. Barnett, Vincent, 2017. "Keynes, Animal Spirits, And Instinct: Reason Plus Intuition Is Better Than Rational," Journal of the History of Economic Thought, Cambridge University Press, vol. 39(3), pages 381-399, September.
    3. Rexford G. Tugwell, 1922. "Human Nature in Economic Theory," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 30(3), pages 317-317.
    4. Veblen, Thorstein, 1904. "Theory of Business Enterprise," History of Economic Thought Books, McMaster University Archive for the History of Economic Thought, number veblen1904.
    5. Veblen, Thorstein, 1921. "The Engineers and the Price System," History of Economic Thought Books, McMaster University Archive for the History of Economic Thought, number veblen1921.
    6. Veblen, Thorstein, 1915. "Imperial Germany and The Industrial Revolution," History of Economic Thought Books, McMaster University Archive for the History of Economic Thought, number veblen1915.
    7. Vincent Barnett, 2017. "Veblen’s Two Types of Instinct and the Cognitive Foundations of Evolutionary-Institutional Economics," Journal of Economic Issues, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 51(2), pages 541-562, April.
    8. Wesley C. Mitchell, 1914. "Human Behavior and Economics: A Survey of Recent Literature," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 29(1), pages 1-47.
    9. Joseph Pluta, 2012. "Technology vs. Institutions in Prehistory," Journal of Economic Issues, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 46(1), pages 209-226.
    10. Garth Saloner, 1985. "Predation, Mergers and Incomplete Information," Working papers 383, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Department of Economics.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Clare Virginia Eby, 1998. "Veblen’s Assault on Time," Journal of Economic Issues, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 32(3), pages 689-707, September.
    2. Terutomo Ozawa, 2004. "Veblen’s Theories of “Latecomer Advantage” and “The Machine Process”: Relevancy for Flexible Production," Journal of Economic Issues, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 38(2), pages 379-388, June.
    3. Tae-Hee Jo, 2013. "Saving Private Business Enterprises," American Journal of Economics and Sociology, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 72(2), pages 447-467, April.
    4. Valentinov, Vladislav, 2023. "Stakeholder theory: Toward a classical institutional economics perspective," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 188(1), pages 75-88.
    5. Anastassios D. Karayiannis & Allan E. Young, 2003. "Entrepreneurial Activities in a Veblenian Type Transition Economy," The American Economist, Sage Publications, vol. 47(2), pages 40-51, October.
    6. Davanzati, Guglielmo Forges, 2018. "Structural change driven by institutions: Thorstein veblen revised," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 45(C), pages 105-110.
    7. Hugh Whittaker, 2017. "Premature financialization: a conceptual exploration," Working Papers halshs-01680406, HAL.
    8. Naoise McDonagh, 2021. "Credit Guidance for a Desired Economy: An Original Institutional Economics Critique of Financialization," Review of Radical Political Economics, Union for Radical Political Economics, vol. 53(4), pages 675-693, December.
    9. Jo, Tae-Hee, 2011. "Heterodox Critiques of Corporate Social Responsibility," MPRA Paper 35367, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    10. Bichler, Shimshon & Nitzan, Jonathan, 2015. "The Scientist and the Church," EconStor Books, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, number 157975.
    11. Tae-Hee Jo, 2011. "A Heterodox Microfoundation of Business Cycles," Chapters, in: Joëlle Leclaire & Tae-Hee Jo & Jane Knodell (ed.), Heterodox Analysis of Financial Crisis and Reform, chapter 9, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    12. Helge Peukert, 2001. "On the Origins of Modern Evolutionary Economics: The Veblen Legend after 100 Years," Journal of Economic Issues, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 35(3), pages 543-555, September.
    13. Jo, Tae-Hee, 2013. "Uncertainty, Instability, and the Control of Markets," MPRA Paper 47936, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    14. Alexander Lenger, 2018. "Shared Mental Models and Habitus Towards a Mentality-Driven Economics," Journal of Contextual Economics (JCE) – Schmollers Jahrbuch, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin, vol. 138(1), pages 31-51.
    15. Marc Goergen & Christine A. Mallin & Eve Mitleton-Kelly & Ahmed Al-Hawamdeh & Iris H-Y Chiu, 2010. "Corporate Governance and Complexity Theory," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 13927.
    16. James V. Cornehls, 2004. "Veblen’s Theory of Finance Capitalism and Contemporary Corporate America," Journal of Economic Issues, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 38(1), pages 29-58, March.
    17. William M. Dugger, 2005. "Dugger’s Theorem: The Free Market Is Impossible," Journal of Economic Issues, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 39(2), pages 309-324, June.
    18. Zdravka Todorova, 2015. "A Veblenian articulation of the monetary theory of production," Working Papers PKWP1501, Post Keynesian Economics Society (PKES).
    19. Vladislav Valentinov, 2023. "Stakeholder Theory: Toward a Classical Institutional Economics Perspective," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 188(1), pages 75-88, November.
    20. Alexandre Chirat, 2021. "When Berle and Galbraith brought political economy back to life : Study of a cross-fertilization (1933-1967)," EconomiX Working Papers 2021-27, University of Paris Nanterre, EconomiX.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:eaiere:v:15:y:2018:i:1:d:10.1007_s40844-017-0082-5. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.