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Rationality and Society
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Interpretation and Rational Choice

Jon Elster

Collège de France, 3 Rue d'Ulm, 75005 Paris, France, jon.elster{at}college-de-france.fr

Rational choice explanation plays a critical role in the interpretation of both texts and social behavior. The interpretation of fiction benefits from the use of this type of explanation. It can inform understanding of both the author's choice and the behavior of the fictional characters the author creates. Examples of this are offered from a number of pre-modern novels and plays. The situation is somewhat more complicated when rational choice explanation is applied to the study of real human behavior. Human beings can misrepresent the reasons for their actions. This misrepresentation can render understanding more difficult. The behavior of participants in civil wars demonstrates well this misrepresentation and the problems it generates for successful theory construction.

Key Words: behavior • intelligibility • interpretation • literature • rationality

Rationality and Society, Vol. 21, No. 1, 5-33 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/1043463108099347
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