THE HIGHER LEARNING IN AMERICA: A Memorandum on the Conduct of Universities by Business Men (Annotated)
Enriched Edition. A Critique of Academic Capitalism and University GovernanceBy Thorstein Veblen
Length11h 3m
About this audiobook
In THE HIGHER LEARNING IN AMERICA, Thorstein Veblen offers a caustic, penetrating critique of the modern university's subordination to commercial management and pecuniary ideals. Written as a "memorandum," the book combines sociological analysis, satirical irony, and institutional history, placing it within Progressive Era debates over professionalism, philanthropy, efficiency, and the emerging corporate university. Veblen contrasts disinterested inquiry with administrative control, arguing that business habits deform scholarship's proper aims. Veblen, the Norwegian-American economist and social theorist best known for The Theory of the Leisure Class, brought to this work his lifelong suspicion of status, waste, and predatory business culture. His academic career was itself uneasy and itinerant, marked by conflicts with institutional convention. That experience, joined to his evolutionary economics and anthropology of institutions, sharpened his understanding of how universities could mimic the very competitive and acquisitive systems they ought to examine critically. This book is highly recommended for readers interested in the history of higher education, institutional critique, and the sociology of knowledge. Though written in 1918, its arguments remain strikingly relevant wherever universities are judged by market utility, managerial prestige, or donor influence rather than intellectual independence.
This enriched edition has been carefully crafted to add value to your reading experience.
- A succinct Introduction situates the work's timeless appeal and themes.
- The Synopsis outlines the central plot, highlighting key developments without spoiling critical twists.
- A detailed Historical Context immerses you in the era's events and influences that shaped the writing.
- A thorough Analysis dissects symbols, motifs, and character arcs to unearth underlying meanings.
- Reflection questions prompt you to engage personally with the work's messages, connecting them to modern life.
- Hand‐picked Memorable Quotes shine a spotlight on moments of literary brilliance.
- Interactive footnotes clarify unusual references, historical allusions, and archaic phrases for an effortless, more informed read.
Audiobook details
GenreEducation and Learning
Length11 hrs 3 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateJan 30, 2016
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1THE HIGHER LEARNING IN AMERICA: A Memorandum on the Conduct of Universities by Business Men (Annotated)
7THE HIGHER LEARNING IN AMERICA: A Memorandum on the Conduct of Universities by Business Men (pt. 3)
2Introduction
8THE HIGHER LEARNING IN AMERICA: A Memorandum on the Conduct of Universities by Business Men (pt. 4)
3Synopsis
9THE HIGHER LEARNING IN AMERICA: A Memorandum on the Conduct of Universities by Business Men (pt. 5)
4Historical Context
10Analysis
5THE HIGHER LEARNING IN AMERICA: A Memorandum on the Conduct of Universities by Business Men (pt. 1)
11Reflection
Show all chaptersShow less
6THE HIGHER LEARNING IN AMERICA: A Memorandum on the Conduct of Universities by Business Men (pt. 2)
12Memorable Quotes
More from Thorstein Veblen
IMPERIAL GERMANY AND THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION: The Background Origins of World War I - Economic Rise as a Fuel for Political Radicalism (Annotated)Thorstein Veblen12h 37m$2 · $0.00
BUSINESS & ECONOMICS Premium Collection: 30+ Titles in One Volume: The Theory of Business Enterprise, The Higher Learning in America, The Vested Interests and the Common Man, On the Nature of Capital… (Annotated)Thorstein Veblen93h 27m$2 · $0.00
THORSTEIN VEBLEN Ultimate CollectionThorstein Veblen119h 13m$1 · $0.00
IMPERIAL GERMANY AND THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION: The Background Origins of World War I - Economic Rise as a Fuel for Political RadicalismThorstein Veblen11h 17m$1 · $0.00
IMPERIAL GERMANY AND THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTIONThorstein Veblen12h 30m$1 · $0.00
The Complete Works of Thorstein VeblenThorstein Veblen117h 4m$1 · $0.00
Business & Economics Collection: Thorstein Veblen Edition (30+ Works in One Volume)Thorstein Veblen91h 26m$2 · $0.00
Business & Economics - Premium CollectionThorstein Veblen93h 15m$2 · $0.00
THORSTEIN VEBLEN Ultimate CollectionThorstein Veblen120h 56m$2 · $0.00
The Engineers & the Price SystemThorstein Veblen4h 45m$1 · $0.00
THE THEORY OF THE LEISURE CLASS: An Economic Study of American Institutions and a Social Critique of Conspicuous Consumption (Annotated)Thorstein Veblen12h 58m$2 · $0.00
Imperial Germany & the Industrial Revolution (Annotated)Thorstein Veblen11h 25m$2 · $0.00
Parents and Children (Annotated)Charlotte Mason9h 23m$2 · $0.00
Start Here Start NowLiz Kleinrock4h 20m$20
Children Under FireJohn Woodrow Cox10h 17m$29 · $0.00
En ComunidadCarla España, Luz Yadira Herrera6h 10m$23
Textured TeachingLorena Escoto Germán4h 25m$20
The State Must ProvideAdam Harris7h 15m$24 · $0.00
The Call of the Wild and FreeAinsley Arment9h 7m$29 · $0.00
The Freelance WayRobert Vlach19h 48m$40 · $0.00
Race to the BottomLuke Rosiak9h 20m$29 · $0.00
We Got ThisCornelius Minor6h 28m$23
They Came for the SchoolsMike Hixenbaugh9h 5m$8 · $0.00
Find Me UnafraidKennedy Odede, Jessica Posner11h 11m$29 · $0.00
A Novel ApproachKate Roberts5h 22m$20
Being the ChangeSara K. Ahmed5h 27m$20
Asking for ItKate Harding8h 55m$20 · $0.00
When Kids Can't Read—What Teachers Can DoKylene Beers12h 31m$25
Defining Moments in Black HistoryDick Gregory7h 37m$26 · $0.00
The Emerald Tablets of Thoth the AtlanteanMaurice Doreal3h 4m$6 · $0.00
May Tomorrow Be AwakeChris Martin7h 53m$26 · $0.00
The Joy of ReadingDonalyn Miller, Teri Lesesne7h 59m$23
You may also like
An Essay in Defence of the Female Sex (a feminist literature classic) (Annotated)Judith Drake4h 14m$2 · $0.00
Maxims for RevolutionistsBernard Shaw28m$2.30
The Predator StateJames K. Galbraith9h 8m$20 · $0.00
The Itching Palm: A Study of the Habit of Tipping in AmericaWilliam R. Scott2h 18m$2 · $0.00
Utopia of Usurers and Other EssaysG. K. Chesterton3h 27m$2.30
KARL MARX Ultimate Collection (Annotated)Karl Marx134h 28m$2 · $0.00
Hey Rub-a-dub-dub A Book of the Mystery and Wonder of LifeTheodore Dreiser11h 14m$2.30
BUSINESS & ECONOMICS Premium Collection: 30+ Titles in One Volume: The Theory of Business Enterprise, The Higher Learning in America, The Vested Interests and the Common Man, On the Nature of Capital… (Annotated)Thorstein Veblen93h 27m$2 · $0.00
A Miscellany of MenG. K. Chesterton5h 32m$2.30
The DisenlightenmentDavid Mamet9h 4m$29 · $0.00
EssaysGeorge Orwell25h 11m$25
Censorship Now!!Ian F. Svenonius5h 52m$17
RecessionalDavid Mamet6h 20m$24 · $0.00
SpeechlessMichael Knowles8h 24m$20
FlatlandEdwin Abbott Abbott4h 11m$5 · $0.00
The Management MythMatthew Stewart11h 38m$21 · $0.00
THORSTEIN VEBLEN Ultimate CollectionThorstein Veblen119h 13m$1 · $0.00
The Fable of the Bees; Or, Private Vices, Public BenefitsBernard Mandeville24h 20m$1 · $0.00
THORSTEIN VEBLEN Ultimate CollectionThorstein Veblen120h 56m$2 · $0.00
The Complete Novels of Sinclair Lewis (Annotated)Sinclair Lewis261h 49m$3 · $0.00