Choosing Rationality
Some critics of rational choice theories regard them as indispensable to the understanding of religion; others as interesting; and still more as indefensible. This paper argues that it is advisable, first, to clarify the strengths and weakness of current applications of rational choice theories to r...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Brill
2002
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| In: |
Research in the social scientific study of religion
Year: 2002, Volume: 12, Pages: 1-22 |
| Further subjects: | B
History of religion
B Social sciences B Religionswissenschaften B Religion & Gesellschaft |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | Some critics of rational choice theories regard them as indispensable to the understanding of religion; others as interesting; and still more as indefensible. This paper argues that it is advisable, first, to clarify the strengths and weakness of current applications of rational choice theories to religion and, second, to identify ways of retaining a focus on the rational aspects of religion without reproducing the problematic features of rational choice theories. The process of clarification involves taking proper account of ideology and culture; being skeptical about the notion of 'maximizing'; and avoiding simplistic notions of religion as compensation. The development of rational ideal-types, the analysis of the social construction of particular forms of rationality, and the refinement of ethnomethodology and conversation analysis are all promising ways of enhancing the study of rationality in religion. Some rational choice theories have given rationality a bad name, but this is no reason to abandon either rational choice theories or rationality. |
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| Contains: | Enthalten in: Research in the social scientific study of religion
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1163/9789004496200_003 |