ENGLISH

Nuts and Bolts for the Social Sciences

By Jon Elster

Book information

Publisher
Cambridge University Press
Year
1989
ISBN
0521376068, 9780521376068
LCC
H61 .E434 1989
Open Library ID
OL2209082M
Language
english
Format
DJVU
Filesize
2 MB (2221126 bytes)
Pages
187\187
DPI
300
Time added
2011-06-04 13:46:07

Description

This book is intended as an introductory survey of the philosophy of the social sciences. It is essentially a work of exposition that offers a tool box of mechanisms--nuts and bolts, cogs and wheels--that can be used to explain complex social phenomena. Within a brief compass, Jon Elster covers a vast range of topics. His point of departure is the conflict we all face between our desires and our opportunities. How can rational choice theory help us understand our motivation and behavior? More significantly, what happens when the theory breaks down but we still cleave to a belief in the power of the rational? Elster describes the fascinating range of forms of irrationality--wishful thinking, the phenomenon of sour grapes, discounting the future in non-cooperative behavior. He shows how these issues bear directly on our lives in such concrete situations as wage bargaining, economic cartels, political strikes, voting in elections, and court decisions involving child custody.

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