Sour Grapes: Studies in the Subversion of Rationality

by Jon Elster

Overview

Drawing on philosophy, political and social theory, decision-theory, economics, psychology, history and literature, Jon Elster's classic book Sour Grapes continues and complements the arguments of his acclaimed earlier book, Ulysses and the Sirens. Elster begins with an analysis of the notation of rationality, before tackling the notions of irrational behavior, desires and belief with highly sophisticated arguments that subvert the orthodox theories of rational choice. Presented in a fresh series livery and with a specially commissioned preface written by Richard Holton, illuminating its continuing importance to philosophical enquiry, Sour Grapes has been revived for a new generation of readers.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781316507001
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	08/26/2016
Series:	Cambridge Philosophy Classics
Edition description:	Reissue
Pages:	192
Product dimensions:	6.02(w) x 9.09(h) x 0.55(d)

About the Author

Jon Elster is Robert K. Merton Professor of the Social Sciences at Columbia University and Professeur Honoraire at the Collège de France. He is the author or editor of thirty-four books on the philosophy of social science and rational choice theory, including Securities against Misrule: Juries, Assemblies, Elections (Cambridge, 2013) and Explaining Social Behavior: More Nuts and Bolts for the Social Sciences, 2nd edition (Cambridge, 2015).

Table of Contents

Preface to this edition Richard Holton; Acknowledgements; 1. Rationality; 2. States that are essentially by-products; 3. Sour grapes; 4. Belief, bias and ideology; References; Index.

Editorial Reviews

'I cannot imagine anyone interested in the philosophy of the social sciences who could fail to profit from and be stimulated by this book.' Flint Schier, Philosophical Books

'Elster is an extremely impressive writer, at home in several languages and in a wide range of scholarly discourses, from philosophy, through game theory, parts of economics and psychology, to literary criticism. He writes attractively and inventively …' Mary K. Farmer, The Economic Journal

'What makes [Elster] distinctive is a combination of philosophical acuity and detailed attention to contemporary work in history, the social sciences and cognitive psychology … When Elster is at the top of his form the general ideas form the framework for the argument which is itself actually carried to great extent through the use of examples. This is hard to convey in a review. But it is what gives Elster's work its uniquely attractive quality. I would defy anyone to read, in particular, the second chapter of Sour Grapes without being charmed by the play of a subtle intellect in a remarkable range of materials.' Brian Barry, The London Review of Books

From the Publisher