The influential economist and philosopher Thorstein Veblen (1857-1929) was one of the most original and penetrating critics of American culture and institutions, and his work attracted and still attracts the attention of scholars from a wide range of political viewpoints and scholarly disciplines. Focusing on the doctrinal and theoretical facets of "[Tilman] asserts that Veblen stands in the front rank of modern Western social theorists.... Tilman writes with clarity and intelligence. He understands the cultural determinants of human behavior, including the market economy."