Thorstein Veblen, the Norwegian-American economist raised in rural Minnesota, left an indelible mark on social theory with his 1899 classic, The Theory of the Leisure Class. In that book alone, he wielded the term “pecuniary” over 200 times, hammering home his critique of money-driven motives in society. Makes you wonder: was Veblen subtly arguing that transactions fueled chiefly by monetary incentives carry a distinct, perhaps colder essence—diverging sharply from exchanges rooted in social bonds, reciprocity, or community welfare?
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