Predictably Irrational

Investigating the Hidden Forces that Shape Our Decisions
Dan Ariely is a behavioral scientist at MIT and the author of Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces that Shape Our Decisions. See full bio

Comments on "Irrationality is the real invisible hand"

Irrationality is the real invisible hand

What's the real force driving the financial markets? Read More

No Invisible Hand

Please read Gavin Kennedy at:

http://adamsmithslostlegacy.com/ASLLBlog.htm

Adam Smith never used the "invisible hand" metaphor to describe the marketplace.

It is a very recent invention, talk with Paul Samuelson and ask him why he misrepresented Adam Smith to the economic world.

Does any one really believe that pricing decisions are made by invisible hands?

For me, neither the invisible

For me, neither the invisible hand (whether it was or wasn't Adam Smith's notion) or the irrational world of behavioral finance perfectly describes the world. For me, both concepts seem to apply, with us being more rational under some circumstances and more prone to cognitive bias under others (i.e. we're predictably irrational). Perhaps Simon's old "bounded rationality" construct should be expanded to include cognitive bias and emphasize the word "bounded" more.

(As the institutionalists have shown, history and culture can also prevent us from making rational choices; it seems, then, like a catalog is in order for describing when, and under what circumstances, rationality tends to hold or be discarded. In any event, it sure does seem that we are less rational than we like to think.)

Post new comment

The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly.
  • Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically.
  • Allowed HTML tags: <a> <em> <strong> <cite> <code> <ul> <ol> <li> <dl> <dt> <dd>
  • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.

More information about formatting options


Subscribe to Predictably Irrational

Find a Therapist

Search our customized Directory for a licensed professional near you.

Current Issue

Everyday Creativity

How to start living creatively and reap the benefits.