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Towards the Unity of the Human Behavioral Sciences

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  • Herbert Gintis

Abstract

Despite their distinct objects of study, the human behavioral sciences all include models of individual human behavior. Unity in the behavioral sciences requires that there be a common underlying model of individual human behavior, specialized and enriched to meet the particular needs of each discipline. Such unity does not exist, and cannot be easily attained, since the various disciplines have incompatible models and disparate research methodologies. Yet recent theoretical and empirical developments have created the conditions for unity in the behavioral sciences, incorporating core principles from all fields, and based upon theoretical tools (game theory and the rational actor model) and data gathering techniques (experimental games in the laboratory and field) that transcend disciplinary boundaries. This article sketches a set of principles aimed at fostering such a unity.

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  • Herbert Gintis, 2004. "Towards the Unity of the Human Behavioral Sciences," Politics, Philosophy & Economics, , vol. 3(1), pages 37-57, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:pophec:v:3:y:2004:i:1:p:37-57
    DOI: 10.1177/1470594X04040188
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    Cited by:

    1. Bruno Frey & Silke Humbert & Friedrich Schneider, 2010. "What is economics? Attitudes and views of German economists," Journal of Economic Methodology, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 17(3), pages 317-332.
    2. Katrine Soma & Benson Obwanga & Charles Mbauni Kanyuguto, 2021. "A New Rural-Urban Fish Food System Was Established in Kenya–Learning from Best Practices," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(13), pages 1-14, June.
    3. Dennis C. Mueller, 2006. "Democracy, Rationality and Morality," Papers on Economics and Evolution 2006-15, Philipps University Marburg, Department of Geography.
    4. Tom R. Burns & Ewa Roszkowska & Nora Machado Des Johansson & Ugo Corte, 2018. "Paradigm Shift in Game Theory: Sociological Re-Conceptualization of Human Agency, Social Structure, and Agents’ Cognitive-Normative Frameworks and Action Determination Modalities," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 7(3), pages 1-40, March.
    5. Tapia, Carlos & Coulton, Jeff & Saydam, Serkan, 2020. "Using entropy to assess dynamic behaviour of long-term copper price," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 66(C).
    6. Robert Axtell, 2007. "What economic agents do: How cognition and interaction lead to emergence and complexity," The Review of Austrian Economics, Springer;Society for the Development of Austrian Economics, vol. 20(2), pages 105-122, September.
    7. D.Ross, 2006. "Moral fictionalism, preference moralization and anti-conservatism: why metaethical error theory doesn't imply policy quietism," Papers on Economics and Evolution 2006-16, Philipps University Marburg, Department of Geography.
    8. Georg D. Blind & Raji Steineck, 2021. "The missing piece in E. Cassirer’s theory of symbolic forms: the economy," Evolutionary and Institutional Economics Review, Springer, vol. 18(1), pages 291-315, April.
    9. Serge Blondel & Ngoc-Thao Noet, 2023. "Quels facteurs expliquent la faible coopération en horticulture ?," TEPP Research Report 2023-01, TEPP.

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