Jon Elster Livres

A substantially revised edition of Jon Elster's critically acclaimed book exploring the nature of social behavior and the social sciences.

This book is Jon Elster's influential study of irrationality, challenging orthodox theories of rational choice.

Exploring the concept of constraint, this book presents the idea that limiting choices or embracing ignorance can sometimes benefit individuals. Through three detailed essays, it expands on themes from Jon Elster's earlier work, revealing common patterns in various examples of limited freedom. Elster introduces the innovative field of constraint theory, offering a fresh perspective on decision-making. Written in an engaging style, the book appeals to professionals and students across philosophy, political science, psychology, and economics.

The book presents an argument that positions Tocqueville primarily as a social scientist, shifting the focus from his political theory contributions. Elster highlights Tocqueville's significant substantive insights into society and his methodological approaches, showcasing how these elements are crucial for understanding his work and impact. This perspective invites readers to reconsider the broader implications of Tocqueville's analysis on social structures and dynamics.

Focusing on the epistemological aspects of technical change, Jon Elster explores how knowledge and understanding shape innovations and advancements. He delves into the processes that underpin technical development, examining the interplay between theory and practice. This volume offers a unique lens through which to analyze the impact of knowledge on technological progress, making it a thought-provoking read for those interested in the philosophy of science and technology.

This book is intended as an introductory survey of the philosophy of the social sciences. It is essentially a work of exposition that offers a tool box of mechanisms--nuts and bolts, cogs and wheels--that can be used to explain complex social phenomena. Within a brief compass, Jon Elster covers a vast range of topics. His point of departure is the conflict we all face between our desires and our opportunities. How can rational choice theory help us understand our motivation and behavior? More significantly, what happens when the theory breaks down but we still cleave to a belief in the power of the rational? Elster describes the fascinating range of forms of irrationality--wishful thinking, the phenomenon of sour grapes, discounting the future in non-cooperative behavior. He shows how these issues bear directly on our lives in such concrete situations as wage bargaining, economic cartels, political strikes, voting in elections, and court decisions involving child custody.

The book explores the concept of transitional justice in the aftermath of political regime changes, particularly from autocracy to democracy. John Elster analyzes various historical instances, including post-1945 Western Europe, post-1989 Eastern Europe, classical Greece, and transitions in Latin America and South Africa. He proposes a framework to understand the differences in how societies address past wrongdoings and compensate victims, highlighting the complexities and variations of these justice processes throughout history.

Seeks to bridge the gap between philosophers who use the idea of reason to assess human behavior from a normative point of view and social scientists who use the idea of rationality to explain behavior. This book proposes a unified conceptual framework for the study of behavior.

This introduction offers a clear overview of Marx's key concepts, making it ideal for beginners. It systematically explores essential themes such as methodology, alienation, and historical materialism, while addressing the dynamics of classes, politics, and ideology. The concluding chapter critically evaluates the relevance of Marx's philosophy today, distinguishing between its enduring ideas and those that have lost significance.

Sour Grapes aims to subvert orthodox theories of rational choice through the study of forms of irrationality. Dr Elster begins with an analysis of the notation of rationality, to provide the background and terms for the subsequent discussions, which cover irrational behaviour, irrational desires and irrational belief. These essays continue and complement the arguments of Jon Elster's earlier book, Ulysses and the Sirens. That was published to wide acclaim, and Dr Elster shows the same versatility here in drawing on philosophy, political and social theory, decision-theory, economics and psychology, as well as history and literature.