Communicative Action and Rational Choice (Studies in Contemporary German Social Thought) - Softcover

Heath, Joseph

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0262582244 ISBN 13: 9780262582247

Publisher: MIT Press, 2003

Synopsis

In this book Joseph Heath brings Jürgen Habermas's theory of communicative action into dialogue with the most sophisticated articulation of the instrumental conception of practical rationality-modern rational choice theory. Heath begins with an overview of Habermas's action theory and his critique of decision and game theory. He then offers an alternative to Habermas's use of speech act theory to explain social order and outlines a multidimensional theory of rational action that includes norm-governed action as a specific type. In the second part of the book Heath discusses the more philosophical dimension of Habermas's conception of practical rationality. He criticizes Habermas's attempt to introduce a universalization principle governing moral discourse, as well as his criteria for distinguishing between moral and ethical problems. Heath offers an alternative account of the level of convergence exhibited by moral argumentation, drawing on game-theoretic models to specify the burden of proof that the theory of communicative action and discourse must assume.

About this title

About the Author

Joseph Heath is Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Toronto.

Edition details

• Publisher: MIT Press
• Publication date: 2003
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0262582244
• ISBN 13: 9780262582247
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 376