Veblen's Instinct of Workmanship pg. 84-89

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 Veblen starts this next section with a logical question: How is that some contamination can occur in workmanship that actually perverts its own ends? He suggests that workmanship itself is part of the problem as its method of cause and effect may at times in error connect certain causes which are not in effect real causes. 


The second issue that occurs whereby Veblen introduces a new instinct which he calls idle curiosity.  He defines this as, “which men, more or less insistently, want to know things, when graver interests do not engross their attention”. (Veblen, pg. 85, 1904).  It is really the essence of a creative instinct in many ways. How does play into the problems of the contamination of instincts?


Veblen first starts with the point that this is a very influential instinct but may be in the background in many cases where more urgent issues arise. He also points to the fact that it is likely that only certain individuals in a community have an overabundance of idle curiosity as opposed to most other people. These people may often be referred to as “dreamers”. It is not directed at any pragmatic or utilitarian end but just a drive to understand.  He then notes that it will occasionally become “serviceable” and enhance the workmanship instinct to drive technological change.


He then talks about some problems for the instinct of workmanship. One particular line sticks out which is “But it also follows that in so far as the personalised, teleological, or dramatic order so imputed to the facts does not, by chance, faithfully reflect the utilisation of relations subsisting amongst these facts, the utilisation of them as technological elements will amount to a borrowing of trouble” (pg. 89, 1904). I take this to mean that humans will seem to sense that a certain idea or concept enhances their workmanship but in fact it doesn't and this will lead to problems down the road. A side note Veblen is clearly in the camp of there being some sort of “truth” that causes regarding at least physical or biological relationships.


There is an interesting turn at the end of this section whereby Veblem basically states that workmanship actually contaminates idle curiosity and in fact combined these two begin to push “magical efficacy” versus “mechanical efficacy”. He also points to the fact that it is almost automatic in the more primitive stages of culture.


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