Economics and Philosophy 37 (2):163-187 (2021)
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Abstract |
This paper defends revealed preference theory against a pervasive line of criticism, according to which revealed preference methodology relies on appealing to some mental states, in particular an agent’s beliefs, rendering the project incoherent or unmotivated. I argue that all that is established by these arguments is that revealed preference theorists must accept a limited mentalism in their account of the options an agent should be modelled as choosing between. This is consistent both with an essentially behavioural interpretation of preference and with standard revealed preference methodology. And it does not undermine the core motivations of revealed preference theory.
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Keywords | Revealed Preference Theory Preference Expected Utility Theory Mentalism Behaviourism |
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References found in this work BETA
Theory of Games and Economic Behavior.John Von Neumann & Oskar Morgenstern - 1944 - Princeton, NJ, USA: Princeton University Press.
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Citations of this work BETA
Functionalism and the Role of Psychology in Economics.Christopher Clarke - 2020 - Journal of Economic Methodology 27 (4):292-310.
Folk Psychology and the Interpretation of Decision Theory.Johanna Thoma - 2021 - Ergo: An Open Access Journal of Philosophy 7.
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