The Two Faces Of Economic Rationality

Traditional economics through rational assumptions that define the behavior ofdecision-making behavior, including the internal consistency of choice by the actors,as well as self-interest maximization. Rational people assume that the assumptions ofneoclassical economics. Departure from the behavior of people in the reality ofdecision-making and rational assumptions, making the rational assumption ineconomic circles there has been controversy. Accompanied by abundant experimentaland cognitive psychology and cognitive neuroscience, the results of scientific research,behavioral economics, neuroeconomics and gradually speed up the economic circlesfor the assumptions of regression. In this context, from a psychological perspective toexplore the physiological basis of the assumption of rationality and evolutionarysignificance of the individual becomes particularly important. In this background, the"rational" individuals with limited resources constraints, taken in order to obtain theindividual utility maximization strategy.Based on the perspective of physiological psychology and neurobiology, that thecharacteristics of the traditional economic decision-making "rational" and "irrational".Study of economic rationality with the main features of the "irrational" in the learningprocess, the incentives of the decision-making behavior and decision-making resultswith uncertainty; By contrast, Study2in order to prove the economicdecision-making "rational" features: Based on the process of brain informationprocessing point of view, the brain information processing also calculated based onthe amount of the neurotransmitter any one neuron to produce the homeopathicpotential to encode the relative physiological expected utility of the action or behaviorof decision makers. Research methods from the point of view, on the one hand combined with related cognitive neuroscience, brain science research on thephysiological basis of the individual decision-making to explore the other hand, theindividual investment decision-making experiments with adult chickens and chicksgroup Nash equilibrium Game experiment.In addition, experimental evidence is to analyze the static and horizontal angle ofrational behavior, based on the evolutionary point of view of the longitudinal anddynamic perspective can integrate the two aspects of economic rationality: the wholeof individual decision-making is rational, but a kinds of evolutionary rationality. Suchrationality is full of the characteristics of the "situation" and "process". Static toexplain the behavior of rational economic decisions based on the evolutionaryperspective to explain the historical causes of the behavior behind.Thus the conclusion to this article, the rational behavior of humans and theanimals is the result of evolution, but this historical evolution of mechanisms to localindividual decision-making into when destined to produce irrational results. Thepurpose is to increase the probability of individual survival under the conditions oflimited resources, there is competition. Individual in order to survive, or bettersurvival, we must continue to meet the individual needs of individual utility to meetthe demand. And rational individuals in order to chase the utility maximizationprocess evolved a standardized and effective way. Utility in a different way, to seekpleasure and satisfaction is the purpose of including humans and other animals, andthe rational is its accessories, and more efficient access to utility. This utility access,whether it is of great significance for the evolution of individuals or populations ofethnic continuity.