Rational Man and Irrational Society?: An Introduction and Sourcebook

by Russell Hardin

Book Overview

The Prisoner's Dilemma and Kenneth Arrow's General Possibility Theorem, are two of the most simple, yet far-reaching concepts in social science. The first captures in an easily understood paradox how individually rational acts that benefit individual people can combine to produce a result that is of less benefit to everyone. The Arrow Theorem shows that there is no formula for ranking the preferences of many people into a rational aggregate. This...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 080391850X
• ISBN13: 9780803918504
• Release Date: April 1982
• Publisher: Sage Publications, Inc
• Length: 400 Pages
• Weight: 1.50 lbs.