A Humean theory of choice of which rationality may be one consequence

Marc-Arthur Diaye () and André Lapidus

The European Journal of the History of Economic Thought, 2005, vol. 12, issue 1, 89-111

Abstract: For the reader who considers economic theory of choice as a special case of a more general theory of action, Hume's discussion of the determinants of action in the Treatise of Human Nature (1739 - 40), in the Enquiry on Human Understanding (1748) and in the Dissertation on Passions (1757) deserves attention. However, according to some modern commentators, Hume does not seem to have given any evidence that would favour what nowadays we would consider as the kind of rationality involved in modern theories of rational choice. On the contrary, this paper arrives at the conclusion that consistency between preferences and choice, like the usual properties of completeness and transitivity, may be considered as outcomes of a mental process, described by means of a decision algorithm that aims to represent Hume's theory of choice.

Keywords: Hume; rationality; decision; passion; desire; preference; will; choice (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2005
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (9)

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Working Paper: A Humean Theory of Choice of which Rationality May Be One Consequence (2005)
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DOI: 10.1080/0967256042000338050

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