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Copyright © Cambridge Political Economy Society

research-article

Prelude to a theory of homo absurdus: variations on themes from Thorstein Veblen and Jean Baudrillard

Alan W. Dyer*

*Northeastern University Boston, Mass

Abstract

Homo absurdus refers to an economic character who differs markedly from the leading characters in both orthodox and Marxist interpretations of economic life. The social and psychological characteristics of absurdus are drawn from Thorstein Veblen's ironical and existential insights into business culture. In particular, the article shows how Veblen uses irony to describe and explore the type of despair that results from a dichotomy between industrial and pecuniary practices and frames the experience of absurdity in this culture. Jean Baudrillard's critique of Marxism in The Mirror of Production is discussed as an example of the contemporary relevance of Veblen's approach. Beyond its theoretical uses, absurdus is described as a therapeutic response to escapism born of despair.

Manuscript received January 9, 1995; final version received November 15, 1995.


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