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Negative Goals and Identity: Revisiting Sen's Critique of Homo Economicus

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  • Christoph Hanisch

    (Universitaet Wien)

Abstract

Sen’s critique of the homo economicus conception of choice asserts that agents who ‘displace’ their goals, and instead choose on the basis of others’, are not therefore irrational. I first defend Sen against the objection that violations of “self-goal choice” undermine coherent deliberation. My critique of Sen then introduces the notion of ‘negative goals’ and shows that the process of adopting others’ aims remains constrained by those ‘goals’ that determine the spectrum of actions that an agent considers permissible. Only on rare occasions are we pushed to violate even these negative goals that play a central role for our identities.

Suggested Citation

  • Christoph Hanisch, 2013. "Negative Goals and Identity: Revisiting Sen's Critique of Homo Economicus," Rationality, Markets and Morals, Frankfurt School Verlag, Frankfurt School of Finance & Management, vol. 4(75), November.
    • Handle: RePEc:rmm:journl:v:4:y:2013:i:75
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Schmid, Hans Bernhard, 2005. "Beyond Self-Goal Choice: Amartya Sen'S Analysis Of The Structure Of Commitment And The Role Of Shared Desires," Economics and Philosophy, Cambridge University Press, vol. 21(1), pages 51-63, April.
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      Keywords

      Rational choice theory; homo economicus; practical identity; self-goal choice; commitment;
      All these keywords.

      JEL classification:

      • D6 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics
      • D7 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making
      • H2 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue
      • H4 - Public Economics - - Publicly Provided Goods

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