Veblen's Instinct of Workmanship pg. 89-102 - end of chapter II

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 Veblen on page 89 reintroduces the idea of parental bent. Again, this is the instinct that drives people to consider the welfare of others not just their own children and the welfare of the community into the future.  He also remarks that this instinct was stronger before the advent of a pecuniary society and private property ownership. Veblen also references that this instinct drives a desire to minimize wasted effort. However, in a reference back to his book the Theory of the Leisure Class, notes that “conspicuous waste” is a countervailing instinct that may intervene as societies develop over time. Finally, Veblen again refers to the fact that parental bent and compassion may be useful in advancing the usefulness of biological and agricultural human ventures but not in the mechanical arts.


From here, Veblen spends a considerable amount of time extolling the virtues of women in  terms of the parental bent and their for animals and crops.  He seems to refer in fact to the idea that these are generally female virtues but perhaps hints that some men may take on some of these instincts in their personage. I am not a feminist scholar and so won't pretend I can properly analyze this section other than to note its existence and his arguments.


At the end of this section and the end of the chapter, veblen notes that the more “savage” cultures are more peaceful than previously thought. He claims that the traditional view of Hobbes of people fighting in ancient times is archaic and out-of-date. He also points to agriculture pushing for a more peaceful existence. Veblen is aware and writes about the shift to a predatory nature of the society as it grows and develops into a more “coercive” and "barbaric” state over time.  This shift or transition seems inevitable in Veblen’s way of thinking as he finishes the chapter with “predatory culture which has displaced it in all cases”. The word all clearly indicates that this has happened in every society and community across time.


Next we move to chapter III, "the savage state of the industrial arts".


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