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.
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 Psychologys 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
S.I. Benn, G.W. Mortimore
