Rationality and Commitment

The latest research at the intersection of economics and philosophy
Rational choice theory is a subject of considerable current interest
A detailed response by Sen provides fresh insights into his critique of rational choice theory
Excellent international line-up of contributors

Rational choice theory forms the core of the economic approach to human behaviour. It is also the most influential philosophical account of practical rationality. Yet there are persistent controversies about the scope of rational choice theory in philosophy and, increasingly, in economics as well. A leading critic is the philosopher and Nobel Laureate economist Amartya Sen, who put forward a trenchant critique of rational choice theory in his seminal paper 'Rational Fools'. Sen emphasizes the importance of commitment - those aspects of human behavior which dispose individuals to co-operate, follow norms, and identify with others. He argues that rational choice theory cannot accommodate commitment, and demands a more adequate account of rationality.

The question of how to account for the rationality of commitment is very much an open issue and, if anything, even more pressing today than when Sen first raised it. In Rationality and Commitment, thirteen leading philosophers and economists discuss Sen's claims and propose their own answers to the question of how to account for the rationality of committed action. The volume concludes with a specially-written reply by Sen, in which he responds to his critics and provides a rich commentary on the preceding essays.

Edited by Fabienne Peter, University of Warwick, and Hans Bernhard Schmid, University of Basel

Contributors:
Geoffrey Brennan, Australian National University, Canberra and University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
John Bryan Davis, University of Amsterdam and Marquette University
Simon Gächter, University of Nottingham
Margaret Gilbert, University of California, Irvine
Natalie Gold, University of Edinburgh
Werner Güth, Max Planck Institute of Economics, Jena
Daniel M. Hausman, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Hartmut Kliemt, Universität Duisburg-Essen
Herlinde Pauer-Studer, University of Vienna
Fabienne Peter, University of Warwick
Philip Pettit, Princeton University
Hans Bernhard Schmid, University of Basel and University of St. Gallen
Amartya Sen, Harvard University and University of Cambridge
Robert Sugden, University of East Anglia
Christian Thöni, University of St. Gallen
Raimo Tuomela, University of Helsinki
Bruno Verbeek, Leiden University




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