The Bounds of Reason: Game Theory and the Unification of the Behavioral Sciences
Categories: Politics & Social Sciences, Science & Math
Economist Herbert Gintis argues that game theory alone cannot fully explain human behavior and must be combined with insights from the other behavioral sciences. He proposes a framework that unites biology, economics, psychology, anthropology and sociology around game theory and the rational actor model, extended to include social norms and other-regarding preferences. Gintis shows how this approach can explain cooperation and social life more completely than any single discipline.
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- Shane Parrish: “Game theory alone cannot fully explain human behavior and should instead complement other key concepts championed by the behavioral disciplines. Herbert Gintis shows that just as game theory without broader social theory is merely technical bravado, so social theory without game theory is a handicapped enterprise”