The rational choice approach presented in the book of George Tsebelis demonstrates how the set of requirements helps providing a good comparative analysis. For the author, it is very important to learn more, to improve the personal experience and, as the result, to get an access to the wide information as the source of the ideas, arguments and conclusions.
One of the leading theorists in the political science, George Tsebelis sees the main issue of the rational approach in its particular elements or requirements. Depending on the kind of requirements, it is easier or harder to find the most persuasive arguments. For Tsebelis, the rational choice approach is based on two issues such as the weak requirements of rationality and the strong requirements of the rationality, where the first one contains the internal facts and the second includes some specific information (1990 p. 40).
In case of the weak rationality, it is impossible to contradict believes and preferences. It is something that can be proved but in a very hard way. The strong requirements, vice versa, contain the information that can be easily connected with the real facts. So, it is possible to compare those believes and probabilities and make a good analysis. Those elements should approximate the reality. In this way, it will be easier to provide the appropriate arguments that support the main idea of the analysis.
According to Tsebelis, both weak and strong rationalities should be based on the set of real arguments. The author explores the basement of rationality as sees it as “the model of human behavior” (Tsebelis 1990 p. 46). The rational choice is the main power that helps people provide the clear and concrete arguments and do the actions.
The author indicated the salience of the information as a very important tool that helps people do the right choice. It is obvious that when the information is available, people have more freedom and space to make a choice. Tsebelis emphasizes the personal experience and the process of learning as an important method appropriate to the rational choice.
The more you learn the more clear choices you can make. An access to the free information helps analysis more facts and make the conclusions according to those facts. Thus, the rational choice approach requires for the personal thinking instead of accepting of the other people’s opinion.
I agree with this statement. I think the independent way of thinking is the most important element of the analytical research. Doing the comparative analysis, we have to provide our own thoughts and ideas. Our arguments should be based on the personal experience.
In fact, it is very important not just to adopt the common idea, we have to think independently. The rational choice is one of the most important approaches in comparative analysis. This method requires being familiar with the information, to provide the arguments which are based on the personal experience.
However, the author states that not all individuals are able to make a rational choice. Most of them only follow the presented and common in the society way of thinking. Therefore, the rational choice as an approach of comparative analysis is very accurate only to the average individuals. However, a capability for making the decisions is necessary for the analysis, and everybody should learn think independently and to analyze all facts.
Works Cited
Tsebelis, George. “In Defence of the Rational Choice Approach.” Contending Perspectives in Comparative Politics. Mayer Lawrence, Thames Frank and Patterson Dennis (1st Ed.). US: CQ Press, 2008. Print.