The Cement of Society
：A Survey of Social Order
( Studies in Rationality and Social Change )
Publication subTitle ：A Survey of Social Order
Publication series ：Studies in Rationality and Social Change
Author： Jon Elster
Publisher： Cambridge University Press
Publication year： 1989
E-ISBN: 9780511876271
P-ISBN(Paperback): 9780521376075
Subject： C912.3 Social relations, social thought.
Keyword： 政治理论,哲学理论
Language： ENG
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The Cement of Society
Description
The question Jon Elster addresses in this challenging book is what binds societies together and prevents them from disintegrating into chaos and war. He analyses two concepts of social order: stable, predictable patterns of behaviour, and co-operative behaviour. The book examines various aspects of collective action and bargaining from the perspective of rational-choice theory and the theory of social norms. It is a fundamental assumption of the book that social norms provide an important kind of motivation for action that is irreducible to rationality. The book represents a major statement by Elster, which will be of particular interest to political scientists, political philosophers, sociologists, and economists.
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