Editing Thorstein Veblen (section)

==Influences on Veblen==
American [[pragmatism]] distrusted the notion of the absolute, and instead recognized the notion of [[free will]]. Rather than God's divine intervention taking control of the happenings of the universe, pragmatism believed that people, using their free will, shape the institutions of society. Veblen also recognized this as an element of causes and effects, upon which he based many of his theories. This pragmatist belief was pertinent to the shaping of Veblen's critique of natural law and the establishment of his [[evolutionary economics]], which recognized the purpose of man throughout.{{sfn|Duggar|1979|p=432}}<!--different article?--> The skepticism of the [[German Historical School]] regarding [[laissez-faire]] economics was also adopted by Veblen.{{sfn|Duggar|1979|p=426}}

From 1896 to 1926, he spent summers at his study cabin on [[Washington Island (Wisconsin)|Washington Island]] in Wisconsin.<ref>{{cite journal | url=https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s40844-020-00194-x.pdf | doi=10.1007/s40844-020-00194-x | title=Thorstein Veblen on economic man: Toward a new method of describing human nature, society, and history | date=2021 | last1=Ishida | first1=Noriko | journal=Evolutionary and Institutional Economics Review | volume=18 | issue=2 | pages=527–547 <!-- page 6 --> }}</ref> On the island he learned [[Icelandic language|Icelandic]], which allowed him to write articles accepted by an Icelandic newspaper<ref>[https://washingtonisland.com/gunnersons-masters-thesis-about-thorstein-veblen/ Washington Island's Thorstein Veblen] by Esther V. Gunnerson, Master's Thesis, 1963, published ''washingtonisland.com''</ref> and translate the ''[[Laxdæla saga]]'' into English.<ref>[https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Oncu-Ahmet/publication/324978131_Absentee_Ownership_and_its_Discontents_Critical_Essays_on_the_Legacy_of_Thorstein_Veblen_edited_by_Hudson_Oncu/links/5aef0cefa6fdcc8508b94c76/Absentee-Ownership-and-its-Discontents-Critical-Essays-on-the-Legacy-of-Thorstein-Veblen-edited-by-Hudson-Oncu.pdf#page=17 Absentee Ownership and its Discontents: Critical Essays on the Legacy of Thorstein Veblen], edited by Michael Hudson and Ahmet Öncü, New York: ISLET-Verlag, 2016, essay on "Thorstein Veblen: An American Economic Perspective" by Michael Perelman, page 2 (page 18 of the pdf)</ref>