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> Are you assuming that only self-interested actions can be rational? That's pretty much the definition of "rational" as it is applied in Economics. See http:/
by dminor 16y ago
> Are you assuming that only self-interested actions can be rational?
That's pretty much the definition of "rational" as it is applied in Economics. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rational_choice_theory http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rational_choice_theory
- isleyaardvark 16y agoThere could be an element of self-interest in poor people's support for charity: > They found that both real lower-class participants and those temporarily induced to rank themselves as lower class felt that a greater share of a person’s salary should be used to support charity. They could on some level see themselves as beneficiaries of charity, and be more charity-minded themselves to avoid cognitive dissonance.
- joshuacc 16y agoIndeed but "economic rationality" is a narrow subset of rationality as a whole. And the lines I quoted above seemed to imply that charity is irrational, not just "economically irrational."
- billybob 16y agoAgreed - "economic rationality" is an extremely narrow concept. As an example, it's "rational" to buy yourself a car or an ice cream cone, because you get utility or enjoyment out of it. It's "irrational" to give money to others, because... you don't get enjoyment out of it? Wait, what if you do? A giant problem with the definition, methinks.
- jbooth 16y agoYeah, then there's the fact that approximately 0 people on earth conform to the expectation of economic rationality. "Hey, it looked like it'd work on the chart!"
- yummyfajitas 16y agoThat's true, but it doesn't imply that charity is irrational. If you derive utility from giving money to charity (e.g., you enjoy warm fuzzy feelings) then it is completely rational to do so. Charitable giving is a consumption good just like video games, playing soccer or shopping for clothes.