MOORE CHANNELS VEBLEN

Thorstein Veblen noted over 100 years ago that there was a conflict between making goods and making a profit. Emphasis on the latter led to merely notional increases in wealth as opposed to real increases in the number of goods. Veblen also described this a a conflict between the instinct of workmanship and the pecuniary instinct.

In his newest film, CAPITALISM: A Love Story, Michael Moore echoes Veblen's observation:

The main point Moore wants to make, the thing that drives him craziest, is his notion that capitalism, far from being a system that rewards excellence, is a scheme set up to make a profit on absolutely anything.