Reason in Human Affairs (Harry Camp Lectures) (Paperback)

~ Herbert Simon (Author) "ONE KIND of optimism, or supposed optimism, argues that if we think hard enough, are rational enough, we can solve all our problems..." (more)
Key Phrases: weak altruism, altruistic gene, trait groups, Mein Kampf, Prisoner's Dilemma (more...)

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Stanford University Press; 1 edition (July 1, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0804718482
• ISBN-13: 978-0804718486
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #911,434 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Lucid tour of the role of reason in human society by a Nobel laureate and one of the most influential social scientists - but ., September 10, 2009

By	Frank T. Manheim (Fairfax VA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Most trade books offer flattering reviews or comments on their back cover. We learn to take these with a grain of salt. However, I find Simon's book to more than deserve its praise. To be sure, it's hubris on my part to utter judgments on the work of a 1978 Nobel Prize winner ("for decision-making processes in economic organizations") and highly respected author and advisor to governments and major businesses. But that's the wonderful breakthrough created by Jeff Bezos at Amazon. He took any and all books - no matter the reputation or standing of their authors - and opened them up to be weighed and judged by any and all of us! What could be more democratic - and often interesting and insightful.

The four chapter titles may sound forbidding to nonspecialists: "Alternative visions of rationality", Rationality and teleology", and "Rational processes in social affairs". But once past the entry gate, this slender, 128 page book offers treats for the intellectually curious person who might be intimidated by terms like "teleology" and formal analysis of logic or reason. Simon takes us on a tour of big names, developments and problems of modern society, like artificial intelligence, "behavioral model of rationality", creativity, bureaucracies, evolution, Great Depression, Milton Friedman, management science, Karl Marx, sociobiology. He explains them or gives historical references, and shows their underpinnings and relationships in language, logic, and examples that are mostly easy to understand.

Simon is a master of what I call "the leveraged observation". By this I mean examples that yield generalized insights of those one could expect from single examples. For example, Simon illustrates the limitations of purely rational processes with Adolf Hitler's book, "Mein Kampf". Simon found that if, for the sake of argument, we accept Hitler's premises and data - e.g. racial superiority, the scheming of the Jews, etc., his reasoning processes are more than adequate to produce convincing conclusions. The problem, of course, was Hitler's skewed assumptions. The devastating results of Hitler's influence, not only for his victims but also Germany thus underscores the critical importance of examining both underlying assumptions as well as rational analysis in a way that would be harder to establish from less definitive cases, e.g. U.S.'s political gridlock.

Having said these good things, my own recent research brings up some chastening reflections on the role of the author and this book in U.S. society. Simon was a polymath, equally adept at theory and applications. He roved over many fields including mathematics and decisionmaking for businesses. Some biographers consider him America's most influential social scientist. What does the fact that my Amazon review seems to be the first for a book of exceptional quality and wisdom, published 19 years ago say about the reception and retention of good thinking in America today? Moreover already before his death in 2001 lapses in judgment and ethic had grown in the U.S. business world to levels not seen since the Gilded Age of the 1880s (e.g. ENRON). So what - if anything - has been the role of the social sciences in helping the U.S. understand human interactions and avoid major mistakes. It's a bit discouraging to reflect that even if we had a book containing all the answers to our current economic crisis, it would likely be buried among tens of thousands of books with similar themes. This should really be something for academics to chew on