Private Truths, Public Lies: The Social Consequences of Preference FalsificationPreference falsification, according to the economist Timur Kuran, is the act of misrepresenting one's wants under perceived social pressures. It happens frequently in everyday life, such as when we tell the host of a dinner party that we are enjoying the food when we actually find it bland. In Private Truths, Public Lies Kuran argues convincingly that the phenomenon not only is ubiquitous but has huge social and political consequences. Drawing on diverse intellectual traditions, including those rooted in economics, psychology, sociology, and political science, Kuran provides a unified theory of how preference falsification shapes collective decisions, orients structural change, sustains social stability, distorts human knowledge, and conceals political possibilities. |
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... ment projects in Latin America . Someone pompously asserts that under socialism there would be no waste . Although you find the claim preposterous , you let it go unchallenged , to avoid sparking a divisive debate . With the advancing ...
... ment , but no further resources need be committed by anyone acting alone . In sum , while open communication does not guarantee political participation , at least it alleviates the difficulties of getting it started . A separate attempt ...
... ment upholding even the rights of widely despised nonconformists . Official protections extended to flag burners and to Nazi marchers are two examples from recent times . There is a distinction between a right and the exercise of that ...
Contents
Collective Conservatism | 105 |
The Obstinacy of Communism | 118 |
The Ominous Perseverance of the Caste System | 128 |
Copyright | |
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