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Does optimization imply rationality?

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  • Mongin, Philippe

Abstract

The relations between rationality and optimization have been widely discussed in the wake of Herbert Simon's work, with the common conclusion that the rationality concept does not imply the optimization principle. The paper is partly concerned with adding evidence for this view, but its main, more challenging objective is to question the converse implication from optimization to rationality, which is accepted even by bounded rationality theorists. We discuss three topics in succession: (1) rationally defensible cyclical choices, (2) therevealed preference theory of optimization, and (3) the infinite regress of optimization. We conclude that (1) and (2) provide evidence only for the weak thesis that rationality does not imply optimization. But (3) is seen to deliver a significant argument for the strong thesis that optimization does not imply rationality.

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  • Mongin, Philippe, 2000. "Does optimization imply rationality?," MPRA Paper 78026, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    • Handle: RePEc:pra:mprapa:78026
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    11. McClennen,Edward F., 1990. "Rationality and Dynamic Choice," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521360470.
    12. ., 1994. "Technical Change and Technological Regimes," Chapters, in: Geoffrey M. Hodgson & Warren J. Samuels & Marc R. Tool (ed.), The Elgar Companion to Institutional and Evolutionary Economics, volume 0, chapter 127, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    13. Amartya K. Sen, 1971. "Choice Functions and Revealed Preference," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 38(3), pages 307-317.
    14. Lipman, Barton L, 1991. "How to Decide How to Decide How to. . . : Modeling Limited Rationality," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 59(4), pages 1105-1125, July.
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    Cited by:

    1. Francesco GUALA, 2017. "Preferences: Neither Behavioural nor Mental," Departmental Working Papers 2017-05, Department of Economics, Management and Quantitative Methods at Università degli Studi di Milano.
    2. Paola Manzini & Marco Mariotti, 2003. "How vague can one be? Rational preferences without completeness or transitivity," Game Theory and Information 0312006, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 16 Jul 2004.
    3. Marc Fleurbaey & Philippe Mongin, 2005. "The news of the death of welfare economics is greatly exaggerated," Social Choice and Welfare, Springer;The Society for Social Choice and Welfare, vol. 25(2), pages 381-418, December.
    4. Philippe Mongin, 2007. "L'a priori et l'a posteriori en économie," Recherches économiques de Louvain, De Boeck Université, vol. 73(1), pages 5-53.
    5. Michaël Lainé, 2014. "Vers une alternative au paradigme de la rationalité ? Victoires et déboires du programme spinoziste en économie," Post-Print hal-01335618, HAL.
    6. Jean Baccelli & Marcus Pivato, 2021. "Philippe Mongin (1950–2020)," Theory and Decision, Springer, vol. 90(1), pages 1-9, February.
    7. Wei Pan & Yi-Shin Chen, 2018. "Network approach for decision making under risk—How do we choose among probabilistic options with the same expected value?," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 13(4), pages 1-19, April.
    8. Alexandre Chirat & Michaël Assous & Olivier Brette & Judith Favereau, 2022. "Herbert Simon’s experience at the Cowles Commission (1947–1954)," EconomiX Working Papers 2022-11, University of Paris Nanterre, EconomiX.
    9. Roberto Fumagalli, 2021. "Rationality, preference satisfaction and anomalous intentions: why rational choice theory is not self-defeating," Theory and Decision, Springer, vol. 91(3), pages 337-356, October.
    10. Jean-Sébastien Lenfant, 2018. "Probabilising the consumer: Georgescu-Roegen, Marschak and Quandt on the modelling of the consumer in the 1950s," The European Journal of the History of Economic Thought, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 25(1), pages 36-72, January.
    11. Fumagalli, Roberto, 2021. "Rationality, preference satisfaction and anomalous intentions: why rational choice theory is not self-defeating," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 112446, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    12. Michaël Lainé, 2014. "Vers une alternative au paradigme de la rationalité ? Victoires et déboires du programme spinoziste en économie," Post-Print hal-04264939, HAL.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Optimization; Rational Choice; Bounded Rationality; Transitivity; Revealed Preference; Infinite Regress;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D21 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Firm Behavior: Theory
    • D11 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Consumer Economics: Theory
    • B41 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - Economic Methodology - - - Economic Methodology

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