Frame It Again: New Tools for Rational Decision-Making

Description

Framing effects are everywhere. An estate tax looks very different to a death tax. Gun safety seems to be one thing and gun control another. Yet, the consensus from decision theorists, finance professionals, psychologists, and economists is that frame-dependence is completely irrational. This book challenges that view. Some of the toughest decisions we face are just clashes between different frames. It is perfectly rational to value the same thing differently in two different frames, even when the decision-maker knows that these are really two sides of the same coin. Frame It Again sheds new light on the structure of moral predicaments, the nature of self-control, and the rationality of co-operation. Framing is a powerful tool for redirecting public discussions about some of the most polarizing contemporary issues, such as gun control, abortion, and climate change. Learn effective problem-solving and decision-making to get the better of difficult dilemmas.

Jose Luis Bermudez is Professor of Philosophy and Samuel Rhea Gammon Professor of Liberal Arts at Texas A&M University. His many books include The Paradox of Self-Consciousness, Thinking without Words, and the highly successful textbook Cognitive Science, now in its third edition.

'This is an engaging and authoritative tour through the world of frames. Whether you are interested in psychology, economics, or sociology, framing effects are indeed central to the power of human reason, rather than its undoing.' Nick Chater, Professor of Behavioural Science, Warwick Business School, and author of The Mind Is Flat '... fascinating and well-written book Bermudez does a great job in showing us the complexities of human decision-making, and the intriguing role frames play in the process.' Annemarie Kalis, Metascience 'Bermudez's book is a welcome contribution to the important, broader task of problematizing and challenging the powerful narrative that he labels the litany of irrationality.' Fay Niker, Economics and Philosophy