Ever wonder how it came to pass that a global economic system was put in place that is so harmful to human well-being? In this video, I share the historic origins of rational choice theory (also known as the theory of rational action) and describe how cognitive science ultimately revealed its foundational prejudices. Hope this is helpful to you!
You can learn more about my work on the applications of cognitive science to political, economic, and philosophical issues at Cognitive Policy Works.
Oh and please forgive my mis-statement about the law of commutativity 6 minutes 30 seconds in… I meant to say that if preference for A is greater than B then preference for B cannot be greater than A. Psychology research in the 70′s showed that this math rule is violated by framing and priming effects.
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Just a trivial correction: Mark Johnson is a philosopher, not a psychologist.
Hi Don,
Yes I know. Mark Johnson is a personal friend.
Best,
Joe
I listened to this cast twice just to make sure that I hadn’t inadvertently missed something, but the second time around also had me asking this question: where is the tie-in to the global economy? There is rhetorical juxtapositioning, but no direct ‘from the military beginnings, these rational-choice principles were folded into economic decision-making thusly…’.
Hi Ron,
The video tells the story of how rational choice theory (which has been foundational as a guiding philosophy for the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, World Trade Organization, and nearly all economic scholarship of the mid to late 20th Century). I didn’t go into the workings of the global economy, though that might make for a worthwhile follow-up.
Is there something specific you’re looking for? Perhaps I can elaborate directly.
Best,
Joe