Rational Man and Irrational Society? - An Introduction and Source Book (Hardcover)

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 book is a collection of the best work done on these two ideas. It is an ideal introduction for students or sourcebook for professionals. '...it presents the traditional works addressing the problems of rationality in social and political theory...the anthology represents a much needed collection of essays on the important theme of rationality in society.' -- Queen's Quarterly, Vol 91 No 2, 1985