According to Thorstein Veblen there were two generally antagonistic clusters of behavioral traits. The "instinct of workmanship" encompassing traits known as the "parental instinct" and the "instinct of idle curiosity" were the main idea of his first cluster. According to Veblen these traits were responsible for society's increase in productivity as well as its mastery over nature. These traits were also instrumental in the fulfillment of human needs including those of affection, cooperation, and creativity. Through this standpoint was the belief that industry- which he defined as production of socially useful commodities, should be left to the engineers. The "instinct of workmanship" is the idea of just producing enough to get by. Survival is the concern, not producing enough to get a profit.
             The instinct to "exploit" or the "predatory instinct" was the main point of the second cluster. Predatory instinct was simply the use of brute force to seize and retain private property. Business take the stand that once you have a surplus of something, people will fight to have it, therefore creating higher profits. The predatory instinct exploited the elements of human conflict, subjugation, and sexual, racial, and class exploitation. Social institutions and habitual behavior using facades referred to as "sportsmanship" and "ceremonialism" hid the truth of exploitation and predatory behavior. Business was believed to be sabotaging the public by restricting output to drive up prices and receive a greater profit.
             Pecuniary culture is the apparent class differences. The flaunting of one's elaborate possessions to show that they are better than their peers is the principle of the theory. "Conspicuous consumption" is the idea that the more useless the consumption the easier it is to see the class distinction. The capitalists were
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