Choice Theory: A Very Short Introduction

by Michael Allingham

Book Overview

We make choices all the time--about how to spend our money, about how to spend our time, about what to do with our lives. And we are also constantly judging the decisions other people make as rational or irrational. But what kind of criteria are we applying when we say that a choice is rational? What guides our own choices, especially in cases where we don't have complete information about the outcomes? What strategies should be applied in making...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0192803034
• ISBN13: 9780192803030
• Release Date: November 2002
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
• Length: 144 Pages
• Weight: 0.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 4.4" x 7.2"

Customer Reviews

An introduction, but not for the real novice

"Short and to the point" describes the book perfectly, but what is the point? More specifically, to whom is it introducing the subject. I found the book a good description of the logic behind choice theory; on what are the numerous different bases on which we can build a "theory" of choice; and where this can lead. From the simplest ideas of choice we are led to Arrow's Impossibility Theorem and so can see that "rational" choices may not satisfy everyone in a democracy - a result that needs to be known at all levels of a polity. However it's supposed to be an introduction. If you're someone not used to using logic there are too many slippery areas where you'll get lost, even though the author tries to ground the work in reality - sometimes successfully, sometimes not. And for someone who wants to see more of the practical implications it is a pity that these are not explicated more. This book will suit some as an introduction, but not all.