Undergraduate Course: Bounded Rationality (PHIL10060)
Course Outline
| School | School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Course type | Standard |
Availability | Available to all students |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 4 Undergraduate) |
Credits | 20 |
| Home subject area | Philosophy |
Other subject area | None |
| Course website |
http://www.philosophy.ed.ac.uk |
Taught in Gaelic? | No |
| Course description | The course will introduce students to current research on the topic of bounded rationality and its implications for ethics and social choice.
The course will be divided into three parts. The first part will focus on idealized theories of rational choice. The second part will consider the ways in which humans appear to violate the norms associated with rational choice theory, and whether there is a robust and distinctive form of nonidealized or bounded rationality. The third part will examine some of the implications of bounded rationality for ethics, in particular concerning the evolution of the social contract and institutional design. |
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
| Additional Costs | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| Displayed in Visiting Students Prospectus? | Yes |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes
On completion of the course, students will be able to:
- analyse the problems that bounded rationality poses for rational choice theory and for game theory;
- compare and contrast different ways of modeling bounded rationality;
- understand the connection between bounded rationality and ethics;
- be familiar with a variety of research methodologies from rational choice theory and ethics;
- synthesise literature in rational choice theory, evolutionary game theory, and ethics;
- bring analytic and critical tools to bear in reading and writing about current topics of research on bounded rationality.
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Assessment Information
Assessment will be by 2-hour examination in the June diet. Senior Honours students may opt to write a long essay (approximately 5000 words) in lieu of the final exam.
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Special Arrangements
| None |
Additional Information
| Academic description |
Not entered |
| Syllabus |
Not entered |
| Transferable skills |
Not entered |
| Reading list |
Not entered |
| Study Abroad |
Not entered |
| Study Pattern |
Not entered |
| Keywords | bounded rationality |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Natalie Gold
Tel: (0131 6)50 3085
Email: |
Course secretary | Miss Susan Richards
Tel: (0131 6)51 3733
Email: |
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