VoidPhil

John Kenneth Galbraith's The Affluent Society is a classic work of economics. Written in 1958, it discusses the changes in American society precipitated by the evolution of capitalism in the post-WWII growth years. Galbraith discusses the effects of the development of advertising, the military-industrial complex, and the increasing affluence of the average American. Galbraith begins the book with a discussion of what he means by the term “affluent society”. The affluent society is one in which the basic needs of the majority of citizens are met, allowing most people to focus their productive energies on something other than bare subsistence.