Rational Choice

The primary purpose of this book is to develop and unify the theory of rational choice. Michael Allingham produces a framework in which the problems of pure choice, choice under uncertainty, strategic choice and social change are united. A secondary purpose is to comment on attitudes to risk and of the concept of knowledge to examine how these problems impact on rational choice theory. Interests in both natural philosophy and political economy inform Allingham's (Oxford U.) effort to develop rational choice in a simple framework in which the problems of pure choice, choice under uncertainty, strategic choice, and social choice are unified. He also comments on some aspects of attitudes to risk as a digression on the second problem, and of the concept of knowledge as a digression on the third. His goal is not to treat the problems exhaustively but to identify the common thread that runs through them all. He uses symbolic logic but no real numbers or mathematical analysis. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com) Front Matter....Pages i-xi Introduction....Pages 1-6 Choice....Pages 7-29 Uncertainty....Pages 31-52 Risk....Pages 53-69 Strategy....Pages 71-88 Knowledge....Pages 89-109 Society....Pages 111-128 Back Matter....Pages 129-143