Logic and SocietyLogic and Society Contradictions and Possible Worlds Jon Elster University of Oslo JOHN WILEY & SONS Chichester - New York - Brisbane - TorontoCopyright © 1978, by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. All rights reserved, No pat ofthis book may te reproduced by any means, nor transmied nor tanita into machine language wih tu the waticn persion ofthe pubis. Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data: Elster, Jon, 1940- Logic and society Includes bibliographical references and index. 1. Social sciences~ Methodology. 2. Economic history. 3. Logic. 1. Title HOLE 300.1 77.9550 ISBN 0471 99549 5 Photosetting by Thomson Press (India) Ltd., New Delhi, and printed in Great Britain by the Pitman Press Lid., Bath ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ‘A number of friends and colleagues, over a number of years, have contributed to the ideas found in this book, First of all I would like to thank Raymond ‘Aron, who taught me that sociology and economics are historical disciplines, and Per Schreiner and Dagfinn Féllesdal who conveyed to me, by example ‘and by criticism, what intellectual honesty means and requires. I have also benefited from numerous discussions with Hans Fredrik Dahl, Gudmund Heres, Knut Midgard, and Francis Sejersted, Draft manuscripts to the present work were read by the following: Brian Barry, Gudmund Hernes, and Arthur Stinchcombe read the whole book and found the time to give me their detailed written comments; without their help the book would have been even more poorly organized and crammed with even more obscure digressions than isthe ease as it stands. Special thanks are due to Brian Barry for encourag- ing me to start work on a book-length manuscript in the first place. Amélie Rorty and Ludwig Siep read-and commented upon Chapter 4; Raymond Boudon and Michael Taylor gave me their opinions of Chapter 5; and Dagfinn Follesdal saved me from some nasty errors in Chapter 6. have also had the invaluable help of Aanund Hylland, who pointed out a number of conceptual ‘and mathematical errors in Chapters 1, 2, and 5. His positive contributions are acknowledged in the appropriate places. LE