First, if economists could not rely on intentions-under the form of imputation of beliefs and preferences to the agents-to build their explanations, economics would simply not exist (this point is further developed in Dietrich and List, which appears complementary to this book). But this is precisely what an economist, for example, routinely assumes about agents in order to explain their interactions.
#LISTBOOK ALTERNATIVE FREE#
We have free will, according to List, if three conditions are met: we are able to act intentionally (Adam Smith’s butcher sells us his meat at a profit), we are able to choose between alternative possibilities (the butcher could have refused to sell), and we are able to control our actions (whether the butcher does sell us his meat or not is up to him). It is therefore tempting for social scientists to assume that free will simply does not exist.Ģ But according to Christian List, in his 2019 book Why Free Will Is Real, it is, on the contrary, the way in which social sciences explain phenomena that makes the best argument in favor of the existence of free will. There is apparently nothing that prevents people from using their free will and changing their mind, disappointing our expectations about their behavior and contradicting any law an economist or a social scientist can think of. And yet it is difficult to avoid thinking that the butcher really could have given up his job and started a new life on another continent, putting you at risk of starvation. As long as this motive prevails (in the butcher’s mind as well as in the mind of all his suppliers), you can be assured that you will not starve to death. But what matters is that you can rely on his sense of self-interest to get your meal served every day. 1 Adam Smith’s butcher will not serve you your meal from his benevolence but from his regard to his own self-interest.
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