自利、利他与经济学理性的层次

Egoism,Altruist and the Levels of Economic Rationality

自利最大化长期以来构成主流经济学理性概念的核心,如此则排除了利他行为的经济学意义。但人类行为是复杂多样的,大量非自利行为的存在对以自利最大化为核心的经济学理性概念形成挑战,迫使经济学重新审视理性。经济学家试图增强理性概念的解释力,一种流行的方式是通过效用函数的转换把利他行为整合进利己模式,宣称利他统一于利己。这种方式其实是逻辑上的同义反复,不能解决问题。走出困境的出路是从理性的形成入手,用理性统一利己与利他。经济学理性根植于特定社会的规则系统,是历史演进的产物,从属于具体的思维传统。理性内化了社会规约,根据内化程度可以分为三个层次。以自利最大化为中心的工具理性可以作为一个特例包含在本文的理性模型中。

Maximizing one＇s own benefits has been the key hypothesis of rationality paradigm in economics, so the altruist conducts are not the field economics should pay attention to. We know that the conducts of mankind are complicated and the altruism has been a serious challenge to the rationality paradigm in economics. Some economists hold the points that altruism is a special utility function of mankind, so they say altruism is egoism in nature. This kind of solution is something like tautology and can＇t help settle the issue. To settle the issue, we should unify altruist and egoism in rationality framework on the basis of the forming of rationality. Economic rationality lies in the social rules and regulations. It is the result of social evolution. Economic rationality internalizes the rules and regulations. We can sort it to three levels. This essay gives a model of economic rationality taking egoism rationality as its special case.