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The essays in this provocative collection survey and assess institutional arrangements that could be alternatives to capitalism as it exists today.The agreed point of departure among the contributors is that on the one hand, capitalism leads to unemployment, a lack of autonomy in the workplace, and massive income inequalities; while on the other hand, central socialist planning is characterized by underemployment, inefficiency, and bureaucracy.In Part I, various alternatives are proposed: profit-sharing systems, capitalism combined with some central planning, worker-owned firms in a market economy, or the introduction of the elements of market economy into a centrally planned economy as has occurred recently in Hungary.Part II provides a theoretical analysis and assessment of these systems. ... Read more

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This provocative book takes up and develops the themes of rationality and irrationality in Jon Elster's earlier work.Its purposes are threefold.First, Elster shows how belief and preference formation in the realm of politics are shaped by social and political institutions.Second, he argues for an important distinction in the social sciences between mechanisms and theories.Third, he illustrates those general principles of political psychology through readings of three outstanding political psychologists:the French classical historian, Paul Veyne; the Soviet dissident writer, Alexander Zinoviev; the great French political theorist, Alexis de Tocqueville. ... Read more

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The contributions in this study present a comprehensive analysis of transitional justice from 1945 to the present. They feature a general theoretical analysis of the processes of retribution and reparation as well as case studies by historians and political scientists who discuss the West European transitions after 1945 and more recent Latin American, East European, and South African transitions to democracy in the 1980s and 1990s. The volume's focus is on retribution against the leaders and agents of the autocratic regime preceding the democratic transition, and on reparation to its victims. ... Read more

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How do criminals solve the problem of trust? What is the social dependence of preferences, and the relationship between causal, rational and intentional explanations of behaviour? In this interdisciplinary anthology the authors discuss these and related questions in the first of three sections. The essays in the second part explore the consequences of behaviour with particular emphasis on the consumption of alcohol, mortality, early onset of drinking and the evolution of social movements.The third part consists of philosophical essays on objectivity, ethics, and includes a conceptual analysis of bullshit. The contributors are all leading scholars in their fields. They are: Nobel laureate Thomas C. Schelling, sociologists Raymond Boudon, Diego Gambetta, Peter Hedstrom, and Trond Petersen, economists George Loewenstein, Hans Olav Melberg, and Karl-Ove Moene, specialised alcohol researchers Griffith Edwards, Thor Nordstrom, Robin Room, and Ingeborg Rossow, philosophers Olav Gjelsvik and Dagfinn Follesdal, a political scientist, Raino Malnes, and some who - like the man celebrated in this book - defy categorisation: Jon Elster and George Ainslie. ... Read more

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German language327 PagesPaperback ... Read more

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Very good book
Nine chapters by multidisciplinary contributors from the US and Oslo, Norway offer insights into the controversies over whether addicts have control over their behavior, the extent to which treatment programs offerhope for recovery, and what causes relapses. The cultural values thatinfuse such issues, the neurobiology of addiction, and recent theories onthe role of choice are major themes. Based on presentations at a RussellSage Foundation conference in June 1997 ... Read more

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In 1989 and 1990, Eastern European Communist regimes and opposition groups conducted a series of roundtable talks to peacefully negotiate the abolition of authoritarian rule and the transition to democratic governance. This volume documents that unprecedented process of national reinvention and constitution making.

These essays capture the historical circumstances of these countries--their traditions, customs, and the balance of influence between competing factions--that often took precedence over constitutional ideals. In five country-specific reports, senior scholars provide detailed accounts of the talks in Bulgaria, Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, and the German Democratic Republic. Also included is an essay on the political factors underlying the failure of negotiations between reform groups and the Chinese regime, providing an illuminating counterpoint to the path taken in Eastern Europe.

This book is an invaluable resource for scholars of constitutional design and democratization and for specialists in Eastern Europe. ... Read more

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In this volume a diverse group of economists, philosophers, political scientists, and psychologists address the problems, principles, and practices involved in comparing the well-being of different individuals.A series of questions lie at the heart of this investigation:What is the relevant concept of well-being for the purposes of comparison?How could the comparisons be carried out for policy purposes?How are such comparisons made now?How do the difficulties involved in these comparisons affect the status of utilitarian theories?This collection constitutes the most advanced and comprehensive treatment of one of the cardinal issues in social theory. ... Read more

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Technical but with interdisciplinary perspectives
The first part of the book has contributions mainly from philophers or with a methological emphasis. The second part is more oriented towards econometrics and formal expositions. Elster's own contribution standsapart, carrying a more empirical content about the way real peopleimplement justice (see his book on "local justice" for more).Make sure you already understand the basics of moral philosophy and welfareeconomics before reading this. ... Read more

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The book proposes a new interpretation of Alexis de Tocqueville that views him first and foremost as a social scientist rather than as a political theorist. Drawing on his earlier work on the explanation of social behavior, Elster argues that Tocqueville's main claim to our attention today rests on the large number of exportable causal mechanisms to be found in his work, many of which are still worthy of further exploration. Elster proposes a novel reading of Democracy in America in which the key explanatory variable is the rapid economic and political turnover rather than equality of wealth at any given point in time. He also offers a reading of The Ancien Régime and the Revolution as grounded in the psychological relations among the peasantry, the bourgeoisie, and the nobility. Consistently going beyond exegetical commentary, he argues that Tocqueville is eminently worth reading today for his substantive and methodological insights. ... Read more

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Great book if you want to understand Tocqueville the sociologist
Tocqueville is occasionally overlooked in the field of sociology. This book does a great job of outlining Tocequeville's theories and contributions to the social sciences. Easy to read, and broken down into relevant sections discussing common themes in sociology, this book would be a great addition to any aspiring sociologist's personal library of study. ... Read more

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A systematic analysis of the principle institutions use in allocating scarce goods and necessary burdens. It examines the criteria by which students are admitted to college, looking at the empirical, conceptual, explanatory and evaluative aspects of such issues. ... Read more

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This volume of essays is very much a sequel to the two earlier collections by Jon Elster, Ulysses and the Sirens and Sour Grapes.His topic is rationality--its scope, its limitations, and its failures.Elster considers rational responses to the insufficiency of reason itself and to the "indeterminacies" in deploying rational choice theory, and discusses the irrationality of not seeing when, where, and what these are.A key essay that gives the collection its title examines disputes in cases of child custody that are paradigmatically indeterminate. Leaving aside cases where one parent is patently unfit and assuming that protracted dispute is against the immediate interests of the child, Elster argues that three options present themselves: a strong presumption in favor of the mother, a strong presumption in favor of the primary caretaker, and tossing a coin.Though the first two options may be preferable in the short term, Elster argues that there is a case for randomization in the long term. ... Read more

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This volume contains a selection of Karl Marx's most important writings, organized thematically under eight headings: methodology, alienation, economics, exploitation, historical materialism, classes, politics, and ideology. Jon Elster provides a brief introduction to each selection to explain its context and its place in Marx's argument. The volume is designed as a companion to Elster's An Introduction to Karl Marx and the thematic structure of each book is the same. But the Reader can also stand on its own and offers the student a substantial and revealingly organized selection of the crucial texts needed to understand and assess Marx's views. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

They complement each other...
In reference to Charles' review, I've read both this book and Ritzer's words on Marx.Charles is definitely correct that Ritzer is easier to understand than the Elster edit, but I think the two complement each other.

19th century German academic translations aren't going to be an easy read, however, what Marx said is essentially here.I wouldn't do as I did and try to read the whole text straight though, but it's an excellent text for linking Marx's words to the specific topics he addresses.

The four stars is based on what the text is supposed to be, which is certainly not a contemporary synopsis of Marx's work.

Classic, hard to understand Marx
While it is true that Marx may be one of the harder theorists to understand, this book didn't really give me a better understanding of anything. If you want a good amount of straight Marx text, this is the bookfor you. If you want to understand Marx and learn about his work, I suggestlooking into the introductory texts of George Ritzer. He does a MUCH betterjob a getting Marx across to the reader than anything in this book. ... Read more

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The essays in this volume consider the question of whether the self is a unity or whether it should be conceived without metaphor as divided--as a "multiple self." The issue is a central one for several disciplines. It bears directly on the account of rationality and the explanation of individual decision-making and behavior. Is the hypothesis of a multiple self required to deal with the problems of self-deception and weakness of will; and can the conceptual tools developed in the study of interpersonal conflict be applied to the analysis of intra-personal struggle?The essays, by a number of leading philosophers, psychologists, and economists, were all commissioned for this volume. ... Read more

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Purchase includes free access to book updates online and a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Chapters: Peter Wessel Zapffe, Ola Raknes, Arne Næss, Jon Elster, Gunnar Skirbekk, Harald K. Schjelderup, Anathon Aall, Rune Slagstad, Finngeir Hiorth, Kristian Birch-Reichenwald Aars, Nina Karin Monsen, Dagfinn Føllesdal, Jon Hellesnes, Arne Johan Vetlesen, Lars Gule, Hans Skjervheim, Vigdis Songe-Møller, Herman Tønnessen. Excerpt:Anathon August Fredrik Aall (15 August 1867 9 January 1943) was a Norwegian academic. Originally educated as a theologian , he was rejected for a professorship in this field, and switched to philosophy and psychology . He ultimately became a professor of philosophy in Kristiania . Personal life He was born in Nesseby as a son of vicar Niels Anton Aall (1833 1896) and his wife Mathilde Susanne Dahl (1842 1910). He was the brother of jurist and Fascist politician Herman Harris Aall, and a grandson of Hans Cato Aall. He was also a great-great-great-grandson of Nicolai Benjamin Aall , and a great-great-grandnephew of Niels, Jørgen and Jacob Aall . From 1899 he was married to Cathrine Antonie Langaard, a daughter of businessman Conrad Langaard. She died in 1926. In October 1928 he married Austrian citizen Lily Weiser (1898 1987), an ethnologist ; she took the name Lily Weiser Aall. Also, his sister Marna was married to philosopher Kristian Birch-Reichenwald Aars from 1895 to 1910. Anathon Aall biographed Aars in the first volume of the first edition of the biographical dictionary Norsk biografisk leksikon . Career Aall's family moved a lot during his early years, since his father was a priest. Aall finished his secondary education in Stavanger in 1886, and graduated from the Royal Frederick University with the degree cand.theol. in 1892. From 1893 to 1897 he undertook religious studies in four European countries. In 1897 he applied for a position as professor of c... ... Read more

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Les achats comprennent une adhésion à l'essai gratuite au club de livres de l'éditeur, dans lequel vous pouvez choisir parmi plus d'un million d'ouvrages, sans frais. Le livre consiste d'articles Wikipedia sur : Jostein Gaarder, Arne Næss, Ludvig Holberg, Jon Elster, Gunnar Andresen. Non illustré. Mises à jour gratuites en ligne. Extrait : Arne Næss (27 janvier 1912 - 12 janvier 2009) est un philosophe norvégien, fondateur du courant de l'écologie profonde. Arne Næss a effectué ses études de philosophie à Oslo, soutenant en 1933 un mémoire de maîtrise intitulé Une discussion du concept de vérité. En 1934-1935, il est en Autriche, à Vienne. Il participe aux travaux de Moritz Schlick et du Cercle de Vienne également animé par Moritz Schlick. De ces contacts, il tire la matière d'une thèse de doctorat consacrée à la sociologie des sciences, soutenue à l'Université d'Oslo en 1936, et intitulée Connaissance et comportement scientifique. Après des recherches à l'université de Berkeley auprès de Edward Tolman et Clark Hull, il est nommé professeur de philosophie à l'université d'Oslo, où il enseigne de 1939 à 1969. En 1958, il fonde la revue Inquiry. En 1940 et 1955, il participe activement à divers mouvements pacifistes et à partir de 1970, il milite en faveur de l'écologie. Il fonde en 1958 une revue interdisciplinaire de philosophie et de recherches en sciences sociales, qu'il va diriger durant près de 16 ans, en l'élevant parmi les meilleures revues scientifiques européennes. Cette revue qu'il a initialement pensé nommer Zetetikos (du grec ζητητικός ; chercher, enquêter) s'est finalement appelée Inquiry (qui signifie scepticisme). Son travail philosophique se concentre ensuite sur Spinoza, en incluant les influences du Bouddhisme et de Gandhi. Næss cite le livre de Rachel Carson Silent Spring paru en 1962, comme ayant été une des influences majeures de sa vision de l'écologie profonde. En 1972, il invente le concept d'écologie p...http://booksllc.net/?l=fr ... Read more