An Introduction to Decision Theory

This introduction to decision theory offers comprehensive and accessible discussions of decision-making under ignorance and risk, the foundations of utility theory, the debate over subjective and objective probability, Bayesianism, causal decision theory, game theory, and social choice theory. No mathematical skills are assumed, and all concepts and results are explained in non-technical and intuitive as well as more formal ways. There are over 100 exercises with solutions, and a glossary of key terms and concepts. An emphasis on foundational aspects of normative decision theory (rather than descriptive decision theory) makes the book particularly useful for philosophy students, but it will appeal to readers in a range of disciplines including economics, psychology, political science and computer science. – Contents : Preface; – 1. Introduction; – 2. The decision matrix; – 3. Decisions under ignorance; – 4. Decisions under risk; – 5. Utility; – 6. The mathematics of probability; – 7. The philosophy of probability; – 8. Why should we accept the preference axioms; – 9. Causal vs. evidential decision theory; – 10. Bayesian vs. non-Bayesian decision theory; – 11. Game theory I: basic concepts and zero sum games; – 12. Game theory II: nonzero sum and co-operative games; – 13. Social choice theory; – 14. Overview of descriptive decision theory. M.-M.V.