Reviews
Here is a list of articles discussing various works by Jon Elster.
(Book reviews, review essays and other relevant articles)
The source format is as follows:
journal name (year) [volume number (issue number):start page-end page]Non-English reviews | Recommended
[ Books | Articles | Reviews | Index | The main menu ]
1996
Review of Local Justice
Riley, J.
Ethics (1996) [106 (2):459-461]Review of Interpersonal Comparisons of Well-Being
Morton, A.
Economics and Philosophy (1996) [12 (1):101-104]1995
Review of Constitutionalism and Democracy
Archard, D.
Radical Philosophy [Iss. 71:39-41]Economic Approaches to Politics
Friedman, E.
Critical Review [9 (1-2)]Review of Local Justice
McPherson, M.
Economics and Philosophy [11 (1):177-182]Review of Constitutionalism and Democracy
Richards, D. A. J.
Ethics [105 (4):945-947]Intentional Action and Pure Causality:
A Critical Discussion of Some Central Conceptual Distinctions in the Work of Jon Elster
Sandven, Tore
Philosophy of the Social Sciences [25 (3):286-317] (Abstract)1994
Talking to One's Selves: The Social Science of Jon Elster
A review article covering many of Elster's books
Brennan, Timothy J.
Journal of Communication [44 (1):73-81] (text)Review of Local Justice
Grafstein, R.
Annales of the American Academy of Political and Social Science [533:215-215]Causally inefficient knowledge and functional explanation
Grimen, Harald
Social Science Information [33:117-127]Comments on Hondericht, Sprigge, Dreyfus and Rubin, and Elster
Hannay, A.
Synthese [98 (1):95-112]Philosophical Foundations of Analytical Marxism
Kirkpatrick, Graeme
Science and Society [58 (1):34-52]Review of Political Psychology
Lakoff, S.
American Political Science Review [88 (1):212-214]Review of Political Psychology
Macintyre, Alasdair
Ethics [105 (1):183-185]Review of Local Justice
Moon, J. Donald
Political Theory [22 (1):179-181] (text)Review of Political Psychology
Roberts, M.
Radical Philosophy [Iss. 68:42-45]1993
Review of Local Justice
Bulpitt, Jim
Journal of Public Policy [12:409-410]Could political truth be a hazard for democracy?
Copp, David
in Copp, David (1993), The Idea of Democracy, New York: Cambridge University PressReview of Local Justice
Dryzek, John S.
American Political Science Review [87 (1):199-199]Review of Local Justice
Heimer, Carol A.
American Journal of Sociology [99 (2):492-494]Review of Local Justice
Lewis, David
Acta Sociologica [36 (3):300-303]Stuck with second best
Review of Local Justice
Miller, David
The Times Literary Supplement [Jan. 8, no. 4684:22-22] (text)What is alive and what is dead in Marx and Marxism?
Nielsen, Kai
Laval Theol Phil [49 (2):277-293]Review of Local Justice
Paul, Ellen F.
Journal of Politics [55 (4):1196-1198]Review of Local Justice
Roth, Alvin E.
Journal of Economic Literature [31 (3):1445-1446] (text)Explanation and metaphysical individualism
Schwartz, Justin
Philosophy of Science (?) [60 (2):278-301]Review of Local Justice
Weale, Albert
Journal of Social Policy [22:563-565]1992
Sour Grapes and Character Planning
Bovens, Luc
Journal of Philosophy [89 (2):57-78]Review of Local Justice
Cornford, J.
New Statesman & Society [5 (220):38-39]Jon Elster
An attempt to give a critical overview of Elster's work
Little, David
in Warren J. Samuels (1992), ed., New Horizon in Economic Thought, Aldershot, Edward ElgarReview of Interpersonal Comparisons of Well-Being
Lyon, P.
American Political Science Review [86 (4):1041-1043]Elster's Marxism
Nielsen, Kai
Philosophical Papers [21 (2):83-106]Review of Interpersonal Comparisons of Well-Being
Osberg, Lars
Journal of Economic Literature [30 (4):2143-2143]
Review of Solomonic Judgements
Scobie, G. E. W.
International Journal of Comparative Sociology (1992) [33 (1-2):130-131] (text)Review of Interpersonal Comparisons of Well-Being
Sugden, Robert
Economic Journal [102 (414):1289-1290]The Social Sciences on Rationality
Review of The Cement of Society, Solomonic Judgements and Nuts and Bolts for the Social Sciences
Weirich, Paul
Philosophical Books [33 (1):1-9]Mechanisms, Methodological Individualism and Marxism: A Response to Elster
Wetherly, Paul
in Weatherly, Paul (1992), ed., Marx's Theory of History, Avebury: Brookfield1991
Mechanisms are not enough: Welshon, Elster and the need for an integrated theory of ideology
Bohman, James
Soc Epistem [193-196]Elster on self-realization in politics - A critical note
Chan, J. and Miller, D.
Ethics [102 (1):96-102]Elster, Marx and Method
Fisk, M.
Nous; 1991 A. P. A (American Political Asociation) Central Division Meeting. Symposia papers and Abstracts (USA) [25:215-220]Review of Nuts and Bolts for the Social Sciences
Gould, Mark
American Journal of Sociology [96 (6):1546-1548] (text)Rational Revenge
Hamlin, Alan P.
Ethics [101 (2):374-381]Review of The Cement of Society
Hampton, Jean
The Journal of Philosophy [88:728-738]Why Elster is stuck and needs to recover his faith
Review of The Cement of Society, Solomonic Judgments and Nuts and Bolts for the Social Sciences
Hollis, Martin
London Review of Books [13 (2):13-13] (text)Review of Nuts and Bolts for the Social Sciences
Humphrey, Paul
Philosophy of the Social Sciences [21 (1):114-121] (text)Review of Nuts and Bolts for the Social Sciences
MacFadyen, Alan J.
Journal of Economic Behaviour and Organization [15 (1):167-169] (text)Monadic Marxism: A Critique of Jon Elster's Methodological Individualism
Moggach, Douglas
Philosophy of the Social Sciences [21 (1):38-63]Rational Choice Theory Considered as Psychology and Moral Philosophy
A review article covering many of Elster's books
Mongin, Philippe
Philosophy of the Social Sciences [21 (1):5-37] (text)Rational choice theory and institutional analysis: Toward complementarity
Ostrom, Elinor
American Political Science Review [85 (1):239-242]Elster's Tocqueville
Pels, Dick
Rationality and Society [3 (3):298-307]When It's Rational to be Irrational
Review of The Cement of Society, Solominic Judgments and Nuts and Bolts for the Social Sciences
Ryan, Alan
New York Review of Books [38 (16):19-22] (text)Review of The Cement of Society
Schmidtz, D.
Ethics [101 (3):653-655]Rational Choice - A survey of contrubutions from economics and philosophy
Sugden, Robert
Economic Journal [101 (iss 407):751-785]Can Norms Rescue Self-Interest or Macro Explanation Be Joined to Micro Explanation?
Wildavsky, Aaron
Critical Review [5 (3):301-323]Review of Nuts and Bolts
Winston, G. C.
Economics and Philosophy [7 (2):315-322]1990
Reading Rational Choice Theory
Denzin, Norman K.
Rationality and Society [2 (2):172-184]Review of The Cement of Society
Giddens, Anthony
American Journal of Sociology[96 (1):223-225] (text)Review of Nuts and Bolts for the Social Sciences and Solomonic Judgments
Hawthorn, G.
New Republic [202 (6):34-38]Review of the Multiple Self
Langley, C.
Australian Journal of Psychology [42 (1):91-95]Review of Nuts and Bolts for the Social Sciences, Solomonic Judgments and The Cement of Society
Rosenberg, Alexander
Economic Journal [100 (403):1334-1337]Methodological Individualism, Psychological Individualism and the Defense of reason
Schmitt R., Ware R., Nielsen K.
Canadian Journal of Philosophy [15:231-253]Review of Constitutionalism and Democracy
Shapiro, Ian
Ethics [191-192]Review of The Cement of Society
Sugden, Robert
Journal of Economic Behaviour and Organization [14 (3):439-441]Review of Nuts and Bolts for the Social Sciences and Solomonic Judgments
Urry, John
Sociological Review [38 (4):785-788]Review of Constitutionalism and Democracy
Vaughn, Karen I.
Public Choice [67 (1):96-99]Methodological Individualism and Marx: Some Remarks on Jon Elster, Game Theory, and Other Things
Wolff, Robert Paul
Canadian Journal of Philosophy [469-486]1989
Review of Introduction to Karl Marx and Karl Marx - A Reader
Denemark, D.
Political Science [40 (2):125-127]Review of Foundations of Social Choice Theory
Hammond, P. J.
Ethics [100 (1):190-191]Review of Making Sense of Marx
Horowitz, G. M.
Philosophy of the Social Sciences [19 (2):232-235]Review of Making Sense of Marx
Louden, R. B.
Studies in Soviet Thought [37 (3):250-253]Elster, Marx and Methodology
McCarney, Joseph
Canadian Journal of Philosophy [15 (Supp.):135-161]Review of Making Sense of Marx
Schweickart, D.
Review of Radical Political Economics [21 (1-2):201-204]MSM
Politicizing Ulysses: Rationalistic, Critical, and Genealogical commentaries
Shapiro, Michael
Political Theory [17:9-32]Rational Choice Marxism - Is it the Game Worth the Candle?
Wood, E. M.
New Left Review [Iss. 177:41-88]1988
Review of Foundations of Social Choice
Dummett, M.
Economics and Philosophy [4 (1):177-183]Review of Introduction to Karl Marx
Gold, Michael
Kyklos [41 (2):329-332] (text)Lost and Found: One Self
Review of The Multiple Self
Herrnstein, R. J.
Ethics [98 (3):566-578]Review of The Multiple Self
Monroe, Kristen R.
The Journal of Politics [50 (2):532-535]Reflections on anti-Marx marxism: Elster on Marx's functionalism and the labour theory of value
Schweikert, David
Praxis [8:109-122]Rationality and Irrationality - New directions in weberian theory, critique, and research
Segady, T. W.
Sociological Spectrum [8 (1):85-100]Methodological Individualism and Marxism
Sensat, J.
Economics and Philosophy [4 (2):189-219]Review of Making Sense of Marx
Smiley, M.
Polity [20 (4):734-744]Marx and Methodological Individualism
Warren, Mark
Philosophy of the Social Sciences [18 (4):447-476]1987
Deciding to believe without self-deception
Cook, J. T.
The Journal of Philosophy [84 (8):441-446]Review of Making Sense of Marx
Foley, D. K.
Journal of Economic Literature [25 (2):749-750]Marx and Self-Realization
Mobasser, Nilou
New Left Review [Iss. 161:119-128]The Odyssey of Jon Elster
A Review essay of many books.
O'Leary, Brendan
Government and Opposition [22 (4):480-498] (text)Can Marxism be rescued?
Review of Making Sense of Marx and Introduction to Kalr Marx
London Review of Books [9 (16):8-10]Review of Sour Grapes and Foundations of Social Choice Theory
Statman, M.
Journal of Economic Literature [25 (2):742-743]
1986
Review of Making Sense of Marx
Ball, M.
Economic Journal [96 (382):576-578]Review of Foundations of Social Choice Theory
Bonner, J.
Economic Journal [96 (384):1137-1139]Making Nonsense of Marx
Burawoy, Michael
Contemporary Sociology [15 (5):704-707]Rational Choice Marxism
Carling, A.
New Left Review [Iss. 160:24-62]Review of Making Sense of Marx
Harvey, David
Political Theory [14 (4):686-690]Review of Making Sense of Marx
Hindess, B.
Sociological Review [34 (2):440-442]Of Bindings and By-products: Elster on Rationality
Review of Ulysses and the Sirens and Sour Grapes
Hubin, Donald C.
Philosophy and Public Affairs [15 (1):82-95] (text)Review of Sour Grapes
Larmore, R.
American Political Science Review [80 (2):645-647]How to make no sense of Marx
Mandel, Ernest
Canadian Journal of Philosophy [15 (Supp.):135-161]Making Nonsense of Marx
Meikle, Scott
Inquiry [29 (1):29-43] (Abstract)Review of Explaining Technical Change
Nelson, R. R.
Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization [7 (3):336-339]Is it worth Making Sense of Marx?
North, Douglas C.
Inquiry [29 (1):57-63] (Abstract)Rationally inaccessible rationality
Review of Sour Grapes
Padgett, John F.
Contemporary Sociology [15 (1):26-28] (text)The Marx problem book
Ryan, Alan
The Times Literary Supplement [Apr. 25. no. 4334:437-437] (text)Making sense of Elster
Review of Making Sense of Marx
Slaughter, Cliff
Inquiry [29 (1):45-56] (Abstract)Elster's Marx
Taylor, Michael
Inquiry [29 (1):3-10] (Abstract)Historical Materialism and Functional Explanation
Wood, Allen
Inquiry [29 (1):11-27] (Abstract)1985
Comment on Elster's "Rationality, Morality and Collective Action"
Barry, Brian
Ethics [96:156-158]Review of Making Sense of Marx
Carling, A.
Science & Society [49 (4):497-501]Review of Explaing Technical Change
Cohen, A. J.
Journal of Economic Issues [19 (1):263-265]Review of Explaining Technical Change
Schick, Frederic
American Journal of Sociology [90 (6):1360-1362]Can the philosophy of science help science?
Review of Explaining Technical Change
Stinchcombe, Arthur L.
Contemporary Sociology [14 (2):164-166] (text)What's Left of Marx?
Review of Making Sense of Marx
Walzer, Michael
New York Review of Books [Nov.21, 32 (18):43-46]
1984
Elster, Rationality and the Rational Choice Approach in the Social Sciences
Derksen, A. A.
Philosophy of the Social Sciences [14 (4):553:558]Review of Sour Grapes
Farmer, M. K.
Economic Journal [94 (373):201-203]Review of Explaining Technical Change and Sour Grapes
Walt, S.
Ethics [94 (4):680-700]1983
Happiness and Joe Higgins
Review of Explaining Technical Change, Sour Grapes
Barry, Brian
London Review of Books [5 (9):8-9]Review of Ulysses and the Sirens
Gauthier, D.
Canadian Journal of Philosophy [13 (1):133-140]Reasoning with the unreasonable
Review of Sour Grapes
Ryan, Alan
The Times Literary Supplement [no. 4202, Oct. 14:1112-1112] (text)
1982
Functionalism vs. Rational Choice: Some questions concerning the rationality of choosing one or the other
Berger, J. & Offe, C.
Theory and Society [11:521-526]
Functional Explanation, Consequence Explanation, and Marxism
Cohen, G. A.
Inquiry [25 (1):27-56]Reply to Elster on "Marxism, Functionalism and Game Theory"
Cohen, G. A.
Theory and Society [11:483-495]Comment on the debate (Marxism, Functionalism and Game Theory)
Giddens, Anthony
Theory and Society [11:527-539]Methodological Individualism and deductive marxism
Roemer, John E.
Theory and Society [11:513-520]Functionalist marxism rehabilitated: A Comment on Elster
van Parijs, Philippe
Theory and Society [11:497-511]Perverse effects and social contradictions: Analytical vindication of dialectics?
van Parijs, Philippe
British Journal of Sociology [33 (4):589-603]Social theory and modern logic: reflections on Elster's Logic and Society
Wilson, Thomas P.
Acta Sociologica [25 (4):431-441] (Abstract)
1981
Review of Ulysses and the Sirens
Brennan, G.
Journal of Economic Literature [19 (1):99-100]Sociology as General Economics
Review of Logic and Society, Ulysses and the Sirens
van Parijs, Philippe
Archives Européennes de Sociologie [22 (2):299-324]
1980
Ulysses and the Sirens
Hahn, F. H.
Inquiry [23:479-482]Superfox
Review of Logic and Society, Ulysses and the Sirens
Barry, Brian
Political Studies [28:136-143]Functional explanation: Reply to Elster
Cohen, G. A.
Political Studies [28 (1):129-135]Counterfactuals and the new economic theory
Review of Logic and Society
Engerman, Stanley L.
Inquiry [23 (2):157-172] (Abstract)Rationality, irrationality and functionalist explanation
Hardin, Russell
Social Science Information [19 (4/5):755-772] (text)Elster on counterfactuals
Review of Logic and Society
Lukes, Steven
Inquiry [23 (2):144-155] (Abstract) | (text)Logic and truth finding in society and sociology
Review of Logic and Society
Markl, Karl-Peter
Inquiry [23 (2):173-185] (Abstract)Review of Logic and Society
Moore, Omar K.
Contemporary Sociology [9 (1):92-92]Akrasia and conflict
Review of Logic and Society
Rorty, Amelie Oksenberg
Inquiry [23 (2):193-212] (Abstract)Is the prisoner's dilemma all of sociology
Review of Logic and Society
Stinchcombe, Arthur L.
Inquiry [23 (2):187-192] (Abstract)Formal theory in social science
Review of Logic and Society
Taylor, Charles
Inquiry [23 (2):139-144] (text)Jon Elster's Brisk Meditations
Review of Logic and Society, Ulysses and the Sirens
Williams, Bernard
London Review of Books [2 (8):11-12]
[ Books | Articles | Reviews | Index | The main menu ]
Recommended
General
If you are interested in a general overview of Elster's ideas, the best place to start is Alan Ryans article from 1991 in the New York Review of Books "When It's Rational to be Irrational." (text) This article is by far the best introduction to Elster. I would also recommend all the other reviews by Ryan.Another general introduction is David Little's chapter about Jon Elster (1992) in Warren J. Samuels' book "New Horizons in Economic Thought."
Among the general overview articles you might also look at:
D. C. Hubin (1986), Of Bindings and By-products: Elster on Rationality, Philosophy and Public Affairs [15 (1):82-95] (text)
B. O'Leary (1987), The Odyssey of Jon Elster, Government and Opposition [22 (4):480-498] (text)
P. Mongin (1991), Rational Choice Theory Considered as Psychology and Moral Philosophy, Philosophy of the Social Sciences [21 (1):5-37] (text)
T. J. Brennan (1994), Talking to One's Selves: The Social Science of Jon Elster, Journal of Communication [44 (1):73-81] (text)Sociology, Rational Choice
If you are interested in sociology, you should read Philippe van Parijs' "Sociology as General Economics" (1980) which is a review of two books by Elster and two books by R. Boudon.M. Hollis' "Why Elster is stuck and needs to recover his faith" (1991) in London Review of Books [13 (2):13-13] (text) is also good, though it exaggerates Elster's supposed conversion from explanations based on rational choice to explanations based on norms.
Functionalism
If you are interested in functionalism, you can do no better than reading the debate between Jon Elster and G.A. Cohen. A good start is Elster's review of Cohen's book "Historical Materialism: A Defense" (text) and Cohen's reply (text). If you have more time you should also read:J. Elster (1982), Marxism, Functionalism and Game Theory, Theory and Society [11 (4):453-482] (text) and the following debate in volume 12, including Elster's response to the criticism).
G. A. Cohen (1982), Functional Explanation, Consequence Explanation and Marxism, Inquiry [25 (1): 27-56]
J. Elster (1986), Further thoughts Marxism, Functionalism and Game Theory, in J. Roemer (1986), ed., Analytical Marxism, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, p. 202-220You might also find it useful to look at Russel Hardin's article in Social Science Information from 1980 - "Rationality, Irrationality and functionalist explanation." Lastly, if you are not exhausted by this time, you might the chapter on functionalism in Elster's book "Explaining Technical Change" and Cohen's defense of functional explanation in a chapter of his "Historical Materialism: A Defense" (reprinted in Roemer (1986), ed., Analytical Marxism).
Marxism
I would like to warn the reader against many of the articles and reviews dealing with Marxism. The tone of the reviews is sometimes bitterly dogmatic (see for exampleGold) and many of the reviews are not very rewarding. The same also applies to some of the reviews attacking Elster's Methodological Individualism.Various advice
Some of Elster's books are subjected to detailed criticism by several invited scholars in the journal "Inquiry." Elster is then allowed to respond to his critics. These issues are perfect as a starting point if you want to take a closer look at some of the books.I also recommend the articles written by reviewers who have followed Elster's output for some time, such as B. Barry, P. van Parijs, G. A. Cohen and the already mentioned A. Ryan.
A list
Here is a list of some good and/or controversial reviews:
(This list is very incomplete)1980
Formal theory in the social sciences
Review of Logic and Society
Taylor, Charles
Inquiry [23 (2):139-144] (text)Jon Elster's Brisk Meditations
Review of Logic and Society, Ulysses and the Sirens
Williams, Bernard
London Review of Books [2 (8):11-12]Ulysses and the Sirens
Hahn, F. H.
Inquiry [23:479-482]Superfox
Review of Logic and Society, Ulysses and the Sirens
Barry, Brian
Political Studies [28:136-143]
1983
Happiness and Joe Higgins
Review of Explaining Technical Change, Sour Grapes
Barry, Brian
London Review of Books [5 (9):8-9]Reasoning with the unreasonable
Review of Sour Grapes
Ryan, Alan
The Times Literary Supplement [no. 4202, Oct. 14:1112-1112] (text)
1985
Can the philosophy of science help science?
Review of Explaining Technical Change
Stinchcombe, Arthur L.
Contemporary Sociology [14 (2):164-166] (text)1986
Review of Making Sense of Marx
Levine, Andrew
The Journal of Philosophy [721-728] (text)The Marx problem book
Ryan, Alan
The Times Literary Supplement [Apr. 25. no. 4334:437-437] (text)1992
The Social Sciences on Rationality
Review of The Cement of Society, Solomonic Judgments and Nuts and Bolts for the Social Sciences
Weirich, Paul
Philosophical Books [33 (1):1-9]Elster's Marxism
Nielsen, Kai
Philosophical Papers [21 (2):83-106]
[ Books | Articles | Reviews | Index | The main menu ]
Articles about Elster (not in English)
1973
Økonomisk historie og marxisme
Syn og segn [79 (4):250-253]1975
Anmeldelse av Elster (red.): Marx i dag
Hans-Jørgen Schanz
Norsk Filosofisk Tidsskrift (1975) [10 65-80]1977
Zenons paradokser - Et vitenskapsfilosofisk apropos
Karl Egil Aubert
Norsk Filosofisk Tidsskrift (1977) [12 (3):203-215]1978
Anmeldelse av Elster: Rasjonalisme og rasjonalitet: Økonomi, Filosofi og vitenskap fra Descartes til Leibniz
Arild Utaker
Norsk Filosofisk Tidsskrift (1978) [13 (1):77-81]Zenons paradokser - En farse?
Karl Egil Aubert
Norsk Filosofisk Tidsskrift (1978) [13 (1):69-73]1981
Dialektikk uten klør
Plathe, Erik
Materialisten [9 (3):87-96]1982
Handling og samfunn
Ein kommentar til Jon Elsters bok Forklaring og dialektikk
Haga, Ånund
Kontinent Skandinavia [1:50-57]Dialektikk, dilletantikk eller snikk-snakk?
Plahte, Erik
Materialisten [10 (2):74-82]1986
Tradisjonskonform seleksjon
Empirisk korrektiv til Jon Elsters analyse av Eilert Sundts darwinistiske nordlandsbåtstudie
Klepp, Asbjørn
Norveg [nr. 29:163-180]How to make no sense of Marx
Mandel, Ernest (oversatt av Anders Ekland og Lars Mjøset)
Kontrast [nr. 4:38-45]1991
Om norm og kalkyle
Tilnærming mellom sosiologi og sosialøkonomi?
Hanisch, Ted
Tidsskrift for samfunnsforskning [32 (5):363-386]1992
Strategisk og kommunikativ handling
En kommentar til Jon Elster
Eriksen, Erik O. og Weigærd, Jarle
Tidsskrift for samfunnsforskning [33 (5):485-492]1994
Nysgjerrig på det irrasjonelle
Intervju med Jon Elster
Bye, Birgitte
Morgenbladet [18 - 24 Nov.: 12-12]
[ Books | Articles | Reviews | Index | The main menu ]