Rationality in the Social Sciences : The Schumpeter-Parsons Seminar 1939-40 and Current Perspectives

This volume presents for the first time a collection of historically important papers written on the concept of rationality in the social sciences. In 1939-40, the famed Austrian economist Joseph A. Schumpeter and the famous sociologist Talcott Parsons convened a faculty seminar at Harvard University on the topic of rationality. The first part includes their essays as well as papers by the Austrian phenomenologist Alfred Schütz, the sociologist Wilbert Moore, and the economist Rainer Schickele. Several younger economists and sociologists with bright futures also participated, including Alex Gerschenkron, John Dunlop, Paul M. Sweezy, and Wassily W. Leontief, who was later awarded the Nobel Prize for developing input-output analysis. The second part presents essays and commentaries written by today’s internationally noted social scientists and addressing the topic of rationality in social action from a broad range of perspectives. The book’s third and final part shares the recently discovered correspondence between the seminar principals regarding the original but failed plan to publish its proceedings. It also includes letters, not previously published, between Richard Grathoff, Walter M. Sprondel and Talcott Parsons on the rationality seminar and the exchanges between Parsons and Schütz. Acknowledgements 5 Contents 6 Editors ́ Introduction: The Harvard Rationality Seminar 9 The Harvard Rationality Seminar 9 Joseph A. Schumpeter and Talcott Parsons 10 Rationality as a Key Concept in the Social Sciences 12 The Joint Faculty Seminar on Rationality in the Social Sciences 13 Notes on the Presenters and Other Participants 14 Seminar Presentations and Discussions 15 Publication Efforts 28 Letter Exchange on the Planned Publication 28 Exchange Between Talcott Parsons and Richard Grathoff/Walter M. Sprondel 30 Current Perspectives 31 Conclusion 32 References 32 Part I: Original Papers of the Schumpeter/Parsons Seminar 34 The Meaning of Rationality in the Social Sciences 35 I 35 II 38 III 39 IV 43 V 47 Discussions on the Meaning of Rationality in Action 53 Further Points from the Discussion 57 An Approach to the Analysis of the Role of Rationality in Social Action 58 Rationality in Action: (Discussion Protocol of the) Meeting of Monday, Feb. 19, 1940 63 The Role of Ideas in the Extension and Limitation of Rationality 65 The Rational Means-End Schema as a Tool for Empirical Analysis of Social Action 73 A Working Concept of Rationality 73 Content and Area of the Concept 73 The Criteria of Rationality in Social Action 74 The Analytical Significance of the Means-End Schema of Action 76 The Elements of the Schema 76 The Relation of the Unit-Act to the System of Action 77 The Role of the ``Conditions ́ ́ in the Means-End Schema 78 Ideologies and the Action Schema 79 Sketch of the Action Schema Applied to two Specific Empirical Action Systems, and Appraisal of their Interrelation 81 The Capitalistic Enterprise 81 The Capitalist Industry 83 Evaluation of Some Interrelationships between Two Unit-Acts with Reference to a Common Action System 85 The Problem of Rationality in the Social World 89 I 89 II 90 III 93 IV 95 V 96 VI 98 VII 101 Part II: Current Perspectives 107 Bounded Rationality and Emotions and How Sociology May Take Profit: Towards an Interdisciplinary Opening 108 Rationality and Max Weber and Joseph Schumpeter 108 Bounded Rationality and Social Scientification of Economics 110 Evolution of the Division Among the Social Sciences 114 Complexity, Bounded Rationality, and Converging Economics 116 Further Research Grounds of Universal Social Sciences 118 Bounded Rationality and Social Networks 119 Conclusion 120 References 121 The Concept of Rationality in Modern Social Sciences: A Critical Appraisal of Joseph A. Schumpeter ́s Essay on ``The Meaning of... 124 Three Types of Rationality 125 Observer Rationality 125 Objective Rationality 125 Subjective Rationality 126 Strategic Interaction 128 Rationality by Evolution 129 The Beauty Contest Game 131 Conclusion 135 References 137 Schütz on Rationality 139 The Overall Constellation 139 Schütz as a Reader and a Critic of Parsons 141 Schütz ́ Analysis of the Relevance of the Concept of Rationality 143 Concluding Remarks 146 References 147 Rationality, Norms, and the Sociological Reconstruction of Economic Theory 150 The Structure of Social Action 153 Perfect-Information General Equilibrium Models 154 Imperfect-Information Models and the Recreation of the Hobbesian Dilemma 156 Rational Actors in the First Stage of Manufacture and in Machine Capitalism 158 The Assumption of Rationality and the Methods of Theory Construction 161 Conclusion 163 References 164 Conceptualizing Rational Social Action 167 I 168 II 171 III 177 IV 179 V 181 VI 183 Conclusion 187 References 187 Ordinary Beauty, Ordinary Ugliness, and the Problem of Rationality 189 Once Upon a Time, Rationality Was ``The Grand Concept ́ ́ 190 Organizational Decision Making: From Rational to Casual 192 The Organizational Condition of Certainty 192 The Organizational Condition of Uncertainty 193 The Organizational Condition of Ambiguity 193 Crisis of the Overly Rational Image of Organization 194 A Problem of Rationality? The Mathematics Department! 195 Aesthetics and Organizational Cultures 196 The Mathematics Department ́s Aesthetics 197 From Rational Interpretation to Aesthetic Understanding 198 The Interweaving Between Aesthetics and Tacit Knowledge 199 Sociological Significance of Sensible Knowledge 200 Rationality, Empathy, and Logica Poetica 201 Philosophical Sensibilities of Aesthetic Understanding 203 Conclusion 204 References 204 Continuity and Change in Parsons ́ Understanding of Rationality 207 The Structure of Action 209 The Professions 213 Multiple Rationalities 215 Cognitive Rationality 217 Conclusion 220 References 221 Inchoate Situations and Extra-Rational Behavior 223 Intentionality Without Rationality: The Jigsaw Puzzle 226 Modes of Rationality: The Rational, Subrational, and Extra-Rational 228 Conditions for Standard (Economic) Rationality: Gintis ́s BPC Model 229 Inchoate Situations 230 Extra-Rational Behavior Strategies I: Incomprehensible Situations/Unspecified Attainability 234 Strategies II: Incommensurability 236 An Extended Example: Work and the Transition to Adulthood-Three Ideal Types for Work 237 Conclusion 240 References 240 Part III: Letter Exchange on the Rationality Seminar 244 Letter Exchange Regarding the Seminar and Plans for Publication 245 Later Letters Regarding the Seminar 263 Name Index 282 Front Matter ....Pages i-ix Editors’ Introduction: The Harvard Rationality Seminar (Helmut Staubmann, Victor Lidz)....Pages 1-25 Front Matter ....Pages 27-27 The Meaning of Rationality in the Social Sciences (Joseph A. Schumpeter, Helmut Staubmann, Victor Lidz)....Pages 29-46 Discussions on the Meaning of Rationality in Action (Helmut Staubmann, Victor Lidz)....Pages 47-51 An Approach to the Analysis of the Role of Rationality in Social Action (Talcott Parsons, Helmut Staubmann, Victor Lidz)....Pages 53-57 Rationality in Action: (Discussion Protocol of the) Meeting of Monday, Feb. 19, 1940 (Donald V. McGranahan, Helmut Staubmann, Victor Lidz)....Pages 59-60 The Role of Ideas in the Extension and Limitation of Rationality (Wilbert E. Moore, Helmut Staubmann, Victor Lidz)....Pages 61-68 The Rational Means-End Schema as a Tool for Empirical Analysis of Social Action (Rainer Schickele, Helmut Staubmann, Victor Lidz)....Pages 69-84 The Problem of Rationality in the Social World (Alfred Schütz, Helmut Staubmann, Victor Lidz)....Pages 85-102 Front Matter ....Pages 103-103 Bounded Rationality and Emotions and How Sociology May Take Profit: Towards an Interdisciplinary Opening (Dieter Bögenhold)....Pages 105-120 The Concept of Rationality in Modern Social Sciences: A Critical Appraisal of Joseph A. Schumpeter’s Essay on “The Meaning of Rationality” (Andreas Diekmann)....Pages 121-135 Schütz on Rationality (Martin Endress)....Pages 137-147 Rationality, Norms, and the Sociological Reconstruction of Economic Theory (Mark Gould)....Pages 149-165 Conceptualizing Rational Social Action (Victor Lidz)....Pages 167-188 Ordinary Beauty, Ordinary Ugliness, and the Problem of Rationality (Antonio Strati)....Pages 189-206 Continuity and Change in Parsons’ Understanding of Rationality (Raf Vanderstraeten)....Pages 207-222 Inchoate Situations and Extra-Rational Behavior (Christopher Winship)....Pages 223-243 Front Matter ....Pages 245-245 Letter Exchange Regarding the Seminar and Plans for Publication (Helmut Staubmann, Victor Lidz)....Pages 247-264 Later Letters Regarding the Seminar (Helmut Staubmann, Victor Lidz)....Pages 265-283 Back Matter ....Pages 285-288 Annotation This volume presents for the first time a collection of historically important papers written on the concept of rationality in the social sciences. In 1939-40, the famed Austrian economist Joseph A. Schumpeter and the famous sociologist Talcott Parsons convened a faculty seminar at Harvard University on the topic of rationality. The first part includes their essays as well as papers by the Austrian phenomenologist Alfred Schütz, the sociologist Wilbert Moore, and the economist Rainer Schickele. Several younger economists and sociologists with bright futures also participated, including Alex Gerschenkron, John Dunlop, Paul M. Sweezy, and Wassily W. Leontief, who was later awarded the Nobel Prize for developing input-output analysis. The second part presents essays and commentaries written by today's internationally noted social scientists and addressing the topic of rationality in social action from a broad range of perspectives. The book's third and final part shares the recently discovered correspondence between the seminar principals regarding the original but failed plan to publish its proceedings. It also includes letters, not previously published, between Richard Grathoff, Walter M. Sprondel and Talcott Parsons on the rationality seminar and the exchanges between Parsons and Schütz This volume presents for the first time a collection of historically important papers written on the concept of rationality in the social sciences. In 1939-40, the famed Austrian economist Joseph A. Schumpeter and the famous sociologist Talcott Parsons convened a faculty seminar at Harvard University on the topic of rationality. The first part includes their essays as well as papers by the Austrian phenomenologist Alfred Sch京 the sociologist Wilbert Moore, and the economist Rainer Schickele. Several younger economists and sociologists with bright futures also participated, including Alex Gerschenkron, John Dunlop, Paul M. Sweezy, and Wassily W. Leontief, who was later awarded the Nobel Prize for developing input-output analysis. The second part presents essays and commentaries written by todays internationally noted social scientists and addressing the topic of rationality in social action from a broad range of perspectives. The books third and final part shares the recently discovered correspondence between the seminar principals regarding the original but failed plan to publish its proceedings. It also includes letters, not previously published, between Richard Grathoff, Walter M. Sprondel and Talcott Parsons on the rationality seminar and the exchanges between Parsons and Sch亮