Jon Elster

Jon Elster (born February 22, 1940) is a Norwegian philosopher and political theorist. He holds professorships at Columbia University and the Collège de France. Elster earned his PhD in social science from the École Normale Superieure in 1972. His work focuses on the philosophy of social science and rational choice theory. He is recognized for his contributions to analytical Marxism, having been a member of the September Group, which sought to reinterpret Marxism through analytic philosophy. Elster has also critiqued neoclassical economics and public choice theory, often citing behavioral and psychological reasons. His academic career includes teaching positions at the University of Paris, the University of Oslo, and the University of Chicago, before joining Columbia University and the Collège de France. He has received several awards, including the Jean Nicod Prize (1997), the John von Neumann Award (2002), and the Johan Skytte Prize in Political Science (2016). Elster's writings often use analytical theories as a basis for philosophical and ethical analysis, drawing on examples from literature and history. He advocates for methodological individualism and microfoundations in social science explanations and has applied rational choice theory to diverse subjects like politics, bias, emotions, and self-restraint. Over time, Elster has expressed a more critical view of rational choice theory's explanatory power, acknowledging the significant role of irrationality in human behavior. His book 'Explaining Social Behavior' reflects this shift, discussing both rational and irrational actions.