Review Essay : Social Theory and Modern Logic: Reflections on Elster's Logic and Society

Abstract

This essay selectively reviews some major issues implicit in Elster's Logic and Society In particular, Elster's reliance on the utilitarian model of the actor as the basis for general social theory, his assumption that modal concepts can be reduced to extensional ones, and his adoption of the natural science model raise fundamental problems for his general approach Con sequently, despite the fact that many of Elster's discussions of particular examples are instructive and provocative, the work overall is disappointing.

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