9/6/2006 Notes

USU 1340 Lecture Notes Sept 6, 2006

Lets begin by distinguishing between normative and positive analysis.
Normative analysis = what ought to be.
positive analysis = what is

We cannot develop means to reach our goals without understanding where we are now and why. Do not let your desires for a good, just, wonderful society get in the way of your analysis of what is actually happening. It is not enough to say, "people should not do X." Figure out why they do X.

In order to analyze the world around us we need to make some simplifying assumptions. KNOWLEDGE IS GAINED FROM THE ORDERLY LOSS OF INFORMATION.
Examples: paper airplanes
blueprints
roadmaps

So, in order to understand human behavior we need to make some simplifying assumptions--we need to make a "model" of humans that has predictive value. That is, in order to be useful, the model has to predict, relatively well, how people will respond to situations and events. NOTE THAT THE MODEL WILL PROBABLY NOT PREDICT HOW INDIVIDUAL PEOPLE WILL ACT, BUT HOW PEOPLE WILL ACT IN THE AGGREGATE.

One feature used by political theorists in the past has been to try to imagine people outside of civil society (literally, "outside the city"). They tried to imagine how people would interact with each other "in a state of nature." Given those imaginings, they then drew conclusions about the justification for and proper role of government.


WHAT SHOULD BE THE FOCUS OF OUR ANALYSIS IF WE WANT TO UNDERSTAND HUMAN SOCIETY? THE GROUP? THE INDIVIDUAL?

What are social goals?

What is group behavior?

Can society as an independent organism have values? Where must the values come from?

Can groups act?

WHAT ARE SOME REASONABLE ASSUMPTIONS TO MAKE ABOUT HUMAN NATURE?

1. ARE PEOPLE RATIONAL?

Do they have goals?

Do they try to achieve them?


2. ARE PEOPLE SELF-INTERESTED OR OTHER INTERESTED?

Whose goals do they try to achieve?


SOME BASIC ECONOMICS

Cost/ opportunity cost/marginal cost


Marginal Cost (Why is this important to understanding groups?)

Supply/Demand/Competition