TY - JOUR
T1 - Is it always rational to satisfy Savage's axioms?
AU - Gilboa, Itzhak
AU - Postlewaite, Andrew
AU - Schmeidler, David
PY - 2009/11
Y1 - 2009/11
N2 - This note argues that, under some circumstances, it is more rational not to behave in accordance with a Bayesian prior than to do so. The starting point is that in the absence of information, choosing a prior is arbitrary. If the prior is to have meaningful implications, it is more rational to admit that one does not have sufficient information to generate a prior than to pretend that one does. This suggests a view of rationality that requires a compromise between internal coherence and justification, similarly to compromises that appear in moral dilemmas. Finally, it is argued that Savage's axioms are more compelling when applied to a naturally given state space than to an analytically constructed one; in the latter case, it may be more rational to violate the axioms than to be Bayesian.
AB - This note argues that, under some circumstances, it is more rational not to behave in accordance with a Bayesian prior than to do so. The starting point is that in the absence of information, choosing a prior is arbitrary. If the prior is to have meaningful implications, it is more rational to admit that one does not have sufficient information to generate a prior than to pretend that one does. This suggests a view of rationality that requires a compromise between internal coherence and justification, similarly to compromises that appear in moral dilemmas. Finally, it is argued that Savage's axioms are more compelling when applied to a naturally given state space than to an analytically constructed one; in the latter case, it may be more rational to violate the axioms than to be Bayesian.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=77249163936&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1017/S0266267109990241
DO - 10.1017/S0266267109990241
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AN - SCOPUS:77249163936
SN - 0266-2671
VL - 25
SP - 285
EP - 296
JO - Economics and Philosophy
JF - Economics and Philosophy
IS - 3
ER -