The concepts of rationality that are used by social scientists in the formation of hypotheses, models and explanations are explored in this collection of original papers by a number of distinguished philosophers and social scientists. The aim of the book is to display the variety of the concepts used, to show the different roles they play in theories of very different kinds over a wide range of disciplines, including economics, sociology, psychology, political science and anthropology, and to assess the explanatory and predictive power that a theory can draw from such concepts.
Inhaltsverzeichnis
Part 1. Rationality in Belief 1. Rationality in Belief G.W. Mortimore and J.B. Maund 2. Rationality of Belief - Intercultural Comparisons J.B. Maund 3. Social Psychology's Rational Man R.P. Abelson Part 2. Rationality in Action 2.1. Strong and Weak Criteria of Rational Action 4. Rational Action G.W. Mortimore 5. Arguing from Rationality Q. Gibson 6. Rational Conduct and Social Life P.S. Cohen 2.2. Technical Notions of Rational Action 7. Technical Models of Rational Choice S.I. Benn and G.W. Mortimore 8. Rational Behaviour as a Basis for Economic Theories C.A. Tisdell 9. Rationality, Colaition Formation, and International Relations O.R. Young 10. Rationality and Political Behaviour S.I. Benn 11. Can Ends Be Rational? The Methodological Implications S.I. Benn and G.W. Mortimore Part 3. Rational Persons 12. The Development of Reason R.S. Peters 13. Psychosis and Irrationality R. Brown Part 4. Social Rationality 14. The Rationality of Societies P.H. Partridge, S.I. Benn and G.W. Mortimore 15. Rational Social Choice G.W. Mortimore
