PH456 One Unit
Rationality and Choice
This information is for the 2025/26 session.
Course Convenor
Prof Jason Alexander
Availability
This course is available on the MSc in Philosophy and Public Policy, MSc in Philosophy of Economics and the Social Sciences and MSc in Philosophy of Science. This course is freely available as an outside option to students on other programmes where regulations permit. It does not require permission.
Requisites
Additional requisites:
Students taking this course should have familiarity with basic propositional logic and some previous exposure to rational choice theory.
Course content
The course examines the theory of rationality and rational decision making. It is in two parts (i) Probability and Decision: Probabilistic thinking, different interpretations of probability, decision making under risk, ignorance and uncertainty, the measurement of belief and desire, paradoxes of expected utility theory. (ii) Game Theory and Social Choice: Non-cooperative game theory; Solution concepts; evolutionary game theory; May's theorem and arguments for majority rule; Arrow's Theorem; the Gibbard-Satterthwaite theorem; interpersonal comparability and Utilitarianism; the theory of judgement aggregation.
Teaching
10 hours of seminars and 15 hours of lectures in the Winter Term.
10 hours of seminars and 15 hours of lectures in the Autumn Term.
This course has a reading week in Week 6 of Autumn and Winter Term.
Formative assessment
Students will submit coursework each term, consisting of both short essays and exercises.
Indicative reading
- Richard Jeffrey, The Logic of Decision
- Michael Resnik, Choices: An Introduction to Decision Theory
- Martin Peterson, An Introduction to Decision Theory
- Amartya Sen, Collective Choice and Social Welfare
- Duncan Luce and Howard Raiffa, Games and Decisions
- Wulf Gaertner, A Primer in Social Choice Theory
- K. Binmore, Game Theory: A Very Short Introduction
Assessment
Exam (50%), duration: 180 Minutes, reading time: 15 minutes in the Spring exam period
Essay (25%)
Essay (25%)
Essay (Autumn term): an essay of no more than 2,000 words written on a topic selected from a set of questions, or on a topic of the student's own choosing (with prior approval granted), to be submitted at the start of the January exam period. (25%)
Essay (Winter term): an essay of no more than 2,000 words written on a topic selected from a set of questions, or on a topic of the student's own choosing (with prior approval granted), to be submitted at the start of the Summer exam period. (25%)
For the exam: Ten questions divided into two sections, A and B, with each section containing five questions. Section A corresponds to the first term of the course and Section B corresponds to the second term of the course. Students have to answer 8 out of the 10 questions.
Key facts
Department: Philosophy, Logic and Scientific Method
Course Study Period: Autumn and Winter Term
Unit value: One unit
FHEQ Level: Level 7
CEFR Level: Null
Keywords: Decision theory, Game Theory, Social Choice Theory, Rationality
Total students 2024/25: 19
Average class size 2024/25: 10
Controlled access 2024/25: NoCourse selection videos
Some departments have produced short videos to introduce their courses. Please refer to the course selection videos index page for further information.