Tracking-down the Nordic Spirit in Thorstein Veblen's Sociology.

Although best known for his notion of 'conspicuous consumption' in The Theory of the Leisure Class (1899), Thorstein Veblen also offered sociology another unit-idea: 'the instinct of workmanship'. The present paper explores Veblen's 'instinct' both in current scientific theory and, more significantly, in Veblen's own ethnic identity. The primordial sources of the instinct of workmanship were brought to light in the archeology of Stone Age Scandinavia. From his vantage point as a Norwegian-American maverick, Veblen discovered in ancient Baltic wasteheaps clear signs of a peaceable, hard-working society and culture. Juxtaposed with German and English 'predatory' societies, the Nordic spirit seemed benign and idyllic. The Golden Age was indeed made of flintstone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]