i think by "trivial true" he meant the same as Jefferson's phrase, "self-evident." Equal bullshit. My source says that Elster hasn't rejected methodological individualism. Rather, he rejected the idea of individual rationality (as economists define it).
On 7/31/07, ken hanly <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > I don't know whether he has rejected the view but if > it is trivially true then if he rejects it then he > contradicts himself. Something that is trivially true > is a tautology and is true independently of what may > be factually true. A trivial truth contains no > information. An example would be: It is raining or it > is not raining. This is true independently of weather > conditions--of course actually you need to specify > time place etc. to get a proposition and its negation > disjoined. > I think that he is just wrong. Methodological > individualism is not trivially true. > > Cheers, Ken Hanly > --- Jim Devine <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > In 1989, the sociologist and erstwhile Marxist Jon > > Elster wrote that > > > > "The elementary unit of social life is the > > individual human action. To > > ex-plain social institutions and social change is to > > show how they > > arise as the result of the actions and interaction > > of individuals. > > This view, often re-ferred to as methodological > > individualism, is in > > my view trivially true." > > > > Am I correct to understand that he has since > > rejected methodological > > individualism? > > -- > > Jim Devine / "Segui il tuo corso, e lascia dir le > > genti." (Go your own > > way and let people talk.) -- Karl, paraphrasing > > Dante. > > > > > Blog: http://kenthink7.blogspot.com/index.html > Blog: http://kencan7.blogspot.com/index.html > -- Jim Devine / "Segui il tuo corso, e lascia dir le genti." (Go your own way and let people talk.) -- Karl, paraphrasing Dante.
