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Arguments Against Rational Choice Theory

453 Words2 Pages

There are many theories that exist for criminal perspective, all giving different explanations on why criminals choose to make the choices they do. I have decided to choose the rational choice theory and give an analysis of its major arguments. The rational choice theory rests on the assumption that people, when faced with a choice, choose the preferred course of action for them (p.43). Inside the text Crime and Human Nature by James Q. Wilson and Richard J. Herrnstein, this theory is “considered weak because it states nothing more than that whatever people choose to do, they choose it because they prefer it and without further clarification it is a tautology” (p.43). Also, according to Wilson and Herrnstein “When it is said that people choose,

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