Brazilian Journal of Political Economy (Apr 2005)

A volta de Ulisses: anotações sobre a lógica de planos e compromissos Ulysses's return: notes on the logic of plans and commitments

  • Ana Maria Bianchi,
  • Roberta Muramatsu

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1590/S0101-31572005000200003
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 25, no. 2
pp. 23 – 44

Abstract

Read online

This paper criticizes the conventional theory of choice for being grounded on a minimal set of rationality axioms. We claim that this theory does not take due account of the fact that agents are driven by motives other than the pursuit of material self-interest. Our departure point is logic of commitments and planned action, which helps us to identify some puzzles in the conventional theory of choice. As a way out, we discuss the Kantian perspective and the notions of metapreference and metaranking. We then build a model of choice which points to the possibility of a systematic treatment of higher order preferences and incommensurable objectives.

Keywords