[eng] Several cases of alleged irrational behavior are examined : imitation of others in a situation of uncertainty ; non-rational revision of belief in a case of cognitive dissonance ; sunk cost fallacy ; weakness of the will. A general characterization of this class of behavior is provided :...

[eng] Convention and common knowledge. . « Rationality cannot feed on itself only » (Aumann). Unless it feeds also on collective entities, such as conventions, that are not amenable to individual rationality, it fails to determine social reality. The concept of Common knowledge is examined in...

This paper explores how the self-constitution of the social order is affected by a property of human desire that is seldom taken seriously in the social sciences, namely the fact that desire is essentially triangular. It brings into play a subject, an object, and a mediator or third party whom...

[eng] Industrial society and the durability of consumer goods. . The reduction in the durability of consumer goods appears to be both a necessary condition for the reproduction of our economic system and a major source of the notorious malaise in industrial societies : amidst its unfortunate...