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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... theory's gener- ality . The case studies were chosen because of their social significance and because they offer striking illustrations of the book's theoretical claims . Had I focused on a single case the added detail might have ...
... theory's potential refutability . Can the prop- ositions and explanations offered herein be disproved ? Can they be tested against alternative theories ? The answer to these questions is a qualified yes . I start with the qualification ...
... theory , see George A. Akerlof and William T. Dickens , " The Economic Conse- quences of Cognitive Dissonance , " American Economic Review , 72 ( June 1982 ) : 307-319 ; Ekkehart Schlicht , " Cognitive Dissonance in Eco- nomics ...
Contents
Collective Conservatism | 105 |
The Obstinacy of Communism | 118 |
The Ominous Perseverance of the Caste System | 128 |
Copyright | |
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