In the following essay, Heilbroner analyzes The Affluent Society thirty years after its initial publication and finds that it can serve as a model for "widening the scope of considerations to which the economic scenarist must pay heed."

The Affluent Society was written to awaken American public opinion from its complacent worship of mindless economic growth. It succeeded in its purpose beyond all expectation. Almost immediately upon publication in 1958 the book leaped onto the best-seller list, where it remained for twenty-eight weeks. It was considered of such special importance that the Elmo Roper organization conducted a poll of 'businessmen/trustees" and economists - the latter selected randomly from the membership list of the American Economic Association, along with an undesignated number of "unusually prominent" representatives of the profession - asking for their opinions with respect to its findings. Overall, the business community voted four to one against...