Individual and Group Decision Making

Author

Affiliation

Eric Pacuit

Department of Philosophy, University of Maryland

Preface

These notes complement the lectures for PHPE 400 - Individual and Group Decision Making. This course examines mathematical models of decision-making for both individuals and groups, with an emphasis on applications in philosophy, political science, and economics. Throughout the semester, we will focus on two primary questions:

1. What principles determine whether individual and group decisions are rational?
2. What assumptions are built into models of decision-making used throughout philosophy and the social sciences, and how should we evaluate these assumptions?

These notes complement your course readings, including (Hausman, McPherson, and Satz 2020), (Gaus and Thrasher 2021), and (Reiss 2013), and provide a comprehensive reference for key technical definitions and concepts.

Important

These notes may be updated periodically throughout the semester. Please check back regularly.

Feedback/Contact

Questions, corrections, or suggestions about these notes can be sent to epacuit@umd.edu.

Gaus, Gerald, and John Thrasher. 2021. Philosophy, Politics, and Economics: An Introduction. Princeton University Press. https://press.princeton.edu/books/paperback/9780691219790/philosophy-politics-and-economics.

Hausman, Daniel, Michael McPherson, and Debra Satz. 2020. Economic Analysis, Moral Philosophy, and Public Policy. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781316663011.

Reiss, Julian. 2013. Philosophy of Economics: A Contemporary Introduction. Routledge. https://www.routledge.com/Philosophy-of-Economics-A-Contemporary-Introduction/Reiss/p/book/9780415881173.