24: Misbehavioral Economics: Choosing irrationality

On Wisdom

Are people being reasonable when they act irrationally? Doesn’t rationality and reasonableness mean the same thing? Charles and Igor kick of the new decade by diving into a messy mix of behavioral economics, nudges, moral philosophy and legal studies, to examine what standards guide people’s decisions. Charles asks Igor about core standards that guide people when they try to make a good decision. Igor unpacks how the standard of a rational agent evolved in the 20th century and what implications it has had for modern economics and politics. Charles wonders if there are any reasonable people left on the Clapham omnibus in London. Igor discusses his new work assessing how most people define rationality and reasonableness, showing that irrational behavior may be a consequence of focusing on reasonableness instead. Welcome to Episode 24.

Links:

• Folk standards of sound judgment: Rationality Versus Reasonableness | Science Advances
• Public Reason (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)
• Neoliberalism - Wikipedia
• The Hedgehog and the Fox | Princeton University Press
• Nudge : Richard H. Thaler & Cass Sunstein
• Self-Interest, Sacrifice, and Climate Change: (Re-)Framing the British Columbia Carbon Tax - MIT Press Scholarship