Following a certain tradition in action theory within sociology, Smelser argues that maximization and rational calculation should be treated as variables, not as postulates. He also argues that under critical pressures, rational choice theory is developing into a nonfalsifiable doctrine. These two claims suggest two general issues that are treated in this article: one connected with the function of formal theoretical principles in a science and the other connected with the specific role of optimization arguments in social theory.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Alexander, J. C.1982. Theoretical logic in sociology. Vol. 1. Positivism, presuppositions, and current controversies. Berkeley: University of California Press.
2.
Coleman, J. S.1990. Foundations of social theory. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
3.
Durkheim, E.1964. The division of labor in society. Translated by G. Simpson. New York: Macmillan.
4.
Fararo, T. J.1989. The meaning of general theoretical sociology. ASA Rose monograph. New York: Cambridge University Press.
5.
Fararo, T. J.
, and J. Skvoretz.1984. Institutions as production systems. Journal of Mathematical Sociology10:117-181.
6.
Heise, D.1979. Understanding events: Affect and the construction of social action. New York: Cambridge University Press.
7.
Homans, G. C.1950. The human group. New York: Harcourt, Brace.
8.
Isnard, C. A.
, and E. C. Zeeman.1976. Some models from catastrophe theory in the social sciences. In The use of models in the social sciences, edited by L. Collins, 44-100. Boulder, CO: Westview.
9.
Pareto, V.1935. The mind and society. Translated by A. Bongiorno and A. Livingston. New York: Harcourt, Brace.
10.
Parsons, T.1937. The structure of social action. New York: Free Press.
11.
Parsons, T.1951. The social system. New York: Free Press.
12.
Rapoport, A.1960. Fights, games and debates. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.
13.
Simon, H. A.1955. A behavioral model of rational choice. Quarterly Journal of Economics69:99-118.
14.
Smelser, Neil J.1992. The rational choice perspective: A theoretical assessment. Rationality and Society4:381-410.
15.
Toulmin, S.1953. The philosophy of science. London: Hutchison.
